TogiTools

UUID Generator

Online UUID Generator







What are UUIDs?

A UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) is a 128-bit identifier that is guaranteed to be unique across all systems and across all time. UUIDs are often used to uniquely identify resources, such as database records or files. They can be generated by any system, without the need for a central authority or coordination point.

There are different versions of UUIDs, including version 1, version 2, version 3, version 4 and version 5. Each version has a different method of generating the UUID and different characteristics.

The most commonly used version of UUID is version 4. UUID version 4 uses a random or pseudo-random number as the source of the generated UUID. The resulting UUID is a string of 32 hexadecimal characters, separated by hyphens, with the format of 8-4-4-12. The version 4 UUID is the one with the best chance of being unique.

UUID version 1 is based on the MAC address of the system that generates it, along with a timestamp. It includes the time of generation and the MAC address of the host on which the UUID is generated. UUID version 1 is unique, but it can be tracked to the host that generated it and may not be suitable for all use cases.

UUID version 2 is similar to version 1, but it also includes information about the identity of the user who generated the UUID.

UUID version 3 and version 5 use a namespace and a name as input, and create a UUID based on a hash of that input. The resulting UUID is not truly random, but it is still unique based on the input given.

UUIDs have several use cases, such as:

  • Identifying database records: When working with databases, it's often necessary to have a unique identifier for each record. UUIDs can be used as primary keys for database tables, to uniquely identify each row in the table. Using UUIDs as primary keys has several advantages over using auto-incrementing integers. UUIDs are globally unique, and can be generated by any system, which makes it easy to merge data from different databases, while auto-incrementing integers can cause conflicts when merging data. Additionally, UUIDs can be generated before the record is inserted into the database, allowing for the record to be identified even before it is stored in the database.
  • Identifying files: UUIDs can also be used to identify files, particularly in distributed systems. Instead of using a file path as the file's identifier, a UUID can be used. This allows files to be identified and accessed by their unique UUID across the different systems, even if the file has been moved or the location of the file has changed.
  • Identifying resources on a network: When working with networked resources, it's often necessary to have a unique identifier for each resource. UUIDs can be used to identify resources on a network, such as servers or services. This allows for efficient and reliable communication with the resources. UUIDs can also be used to identify networked devices, such as printers or routers, which allows for efficient device management.
  • Identifying objects in a distributed system: In distributed systems, objects may be spread out across different systems and need to be identified in a unique way. UUIDs can be used as a unique identifier for objects in a distributed system, which allows for efficient and reliable communication and coordination between different systems. This is particularly useful for distributed systems that span across multiple machines, as it allows for objects to be identified and accessed by their UUID, regardless of their location within the system. Additionally, UUIDs can be used to identify objects in distributed systems that use a microservice architecture, which allows for the services to communicate with each other without the need to share a centralized database.
  • Generating session IDs: UUIDs can be used to generate unique session IDs for users of a web application, which allows the application to track user sessions and maintain state across requests.
  • Tracking messages in a messaging system: UUIDs can be used to identify and track messages as they move through a messaging system. This allows for reliable and efficient delivery of messages, even in large-scale systems.
  • Managing access tokens: UUIDs can be used to generate unique access tokens for authenticating users and accessing protected resources. This allows for secure and efficient access control in distributed systems.
  • Indexing documents: UUIDs can be used to generate unique identifiers for documents in a search index, which allows for efficient searching and retrieval of documents.
  • Logging and Auditing: UUIDs can be used to identify and track events and actions in a system, which allows for efficient logging and auditing.
  • Tracking and identifying Physical goods: UUIDs can be used to identify and track physical goods as they move through a supply chain, which allows for efficient inventory management and tracking of goods.
  • Uniquely identifying devices: UUIDs can be used to uniquely identify devices, such as computers or smartphones, across different systems, which allows for secure and efficient device management.
  • Identifying users: UUIDs can be used to identify unique users in a system, which allows for personalized experiences and secure user management.

UUIDs have several advantages over other types of identifiers. They are:
  • Globally unique: UUIDs are guaranteed to be unique across all systems and across all time, making them well-suited for use as a global identifier.
  • Uncoordinated: UUIDs can be generated by any system, without the need for a central authority or coordination point. This means that UUIDs can be generated even in distributed or offline systems.
  • Persistent: UUIDs can be used to identify resources even if they are moved to a different system or if their location changes.
  • Collision-resistant: The chances of two systems generating the same UUID are extremely low, making UUIDs a suitable option for use in situations where collisions must be avoided, like tokens, key and etc
  • Human-readable: UUIDs can be represented as a string of characters, which makes them more human-readable than a binary identifier.

However, UUIDs also have some disadvantages:
  • They are relatively long and take up more space than other types of identifiers
  • They are not easy to memorize or communicate verbally
  • They are not easily sorted, so you need to sort them as string not as a number.

In conclusion, UUIDs are a powerful and versatile tool for identifying resources across systems and over time. They are globally unique, uncoordinated, persistent, collision-resistant, and human-readable. However, they are relatively long and not easily sorted, which might not be suitable for certain use cases. It's important to consider the specific requirements of your application and the trade-offs involved when deciding whether to use UUIDs or another type of identifier.



Generate MD5 In Programming Language?


UUID v4

                    
UUID uuid = UUID.randomUUID();
                    
                    

                    
Guid guid = System.Guid.NewGuid();
                    
                    

                    
// No easy solution yet

Include crypto-js library and the MD5 plugin

                    
import {v4 as uuidv4} from 'https://jspm.dev/uuid';
var uuid = uuidv4();