ID Generator

A lightweight TypeScript utility for generating various types of unique identifiers. This library provides three different ID generation methods, each optimized for specific use cases.

Usage

import { id } from '@its-satyajit/id-generator';

// Generate different types of IDs
const id = id.generate();  // "Zk9mP2nQ4R"
const id20 = id.generate(20); // "2sgU035ser58knde42at"           
const shortId = id.shortUuidV7(); // "7LJSr5nwRp9vK3mX2yD4qN"
const shortId = id.uuidV7()(); // "f47d08e7-9f9d-7a2e-b290-5a96f0b8c9e1"
const timeId = id.timeId();       // "lq1pgsk-x7y8z9w0"

API Reference

id.generate()

Generates a 16-character random identifier by default.

• Params: number - The length of the ID to generate
• Returns: string - A 16 -character random string by default using base62 alphabet (a-zA-Z0-9)
• Use Case: General purpose unique IDs, user-friendly references
• Example: "Zk9mP2nQ4R"

id.uuidV7()

Generates a uuid v7 identifier.

• Returns: string - A 128 bits containing timestamp and random data
• Use Case: Database records, distributed systems, time-sortable unique IDs
• Features:
  • Timestamp-sortable
  • Millisecond precision
  • Monotonic sequence within the same millisecond
• Example: "f47d08e7-9f9d-7a2e-b290-5a96f0b8c9e1"

id.shortUuidV7()

Generates a 22-character timestamp-based identifier based on UUID v7 specification.

• Returns: string - A 36-character string containing timestamp and random data
• Use Case: Database records, distributed systems, time-sortable unique IDs
• Features:
  • Timestamp-sortable
  • Millisecond precision
  • Monotonic sequence within the same millisecond
• Example: "7LJSr5nwRp9vK3mX2yD4qN"

id.timeId()

Generates a human-readable time-based identifier.

• Returns: string - A time-based ID in format ${timestamp-base36}-${random-base62}
• Use Case: Logging, debugging, human-readable timestamps
• Features:
  • Visible timestamp component
  • Sortable by creation time
  • Random suffix for uniqueness
• Example: "lq1pgsk-x7y8z9w0"

Features

• Zero dependencies
• Cryptographically secure random generation
• TypeScript support
• Collision resistant
• Monotonic timestamp-based IDs
• Base62 encoding for URL-safe IDs

Security

All methods use the Web Crypto API (crypto.getRandomValues()) for secure random number generation.

Performance

• All methods are optimized for performance
• No regex-based parsing
• Minimal memory allocation
• Efficient base conversion algorithms

ID Comparison

Method	Length	Sortable	Time-Based	Format
generate()	16/any	No	No	Random
uuidV7()	22	Yes	Yes	Timestamp + Random
shortUuidV7()	22	Yes	Yes	Timestamp + Random
timeId()	Variable	Yes	Yes	Timestamp-Random

Best Practices

• Use generate() for short, user-facing IDs
• Use shortUuidV7() for database primary keys and distributed systems
• Use timeId() for logging and debugging purposes

Browser Support

Works in all modern browsers that support the Web Crypto API:

• Chrome ≥ 43
• Firefox ≥ 36
• Safari ≥ 10.1
• Edge ≥ 12

License

MIT