- {{ uuid }}
Generate Unique UUIDs
Utility
I have developed and made this UUID generator available to you.
What is a UUID?
A UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) is a standardized string of characters used to identify information within a computer system.
The benefit of this technical identifier is its stability over time, unlike other information such as an email address in a person's database.
A UUID is defined by the RFC 4122 standard. It is represented as a 32-character hexadecimal string, divided into five segments separated by hyphens -.
Format: 8 characters-4 characters-4 characters-4 characters-12 characters
Regex: ^[a-f0-9]{8}-[a-f0-9]{4}-[1-5][a-f0-9]{3}-[89ab][a-f0-9]{3}-[a-f0-9]{12}$
Examples:
- 1ed1643e-21fe-4652-8044-0dedbffe8c00
- cfa837cc-04d3-4e70-ab9f-9199bc76062a
- bf6cac67-4f75-489d-bd02-c7500fa26780
- fe9b1128-d367-4216-9d14-bae4c4a58a3a
- e23065a7-6b9a-4a90-acda-c85a8ba12998
Technical Features of a UUID
- Universality: Allows systems to operate independently, eliminating the need for a centralized mechanism to generate unique identifiers.
- Standardized Format: The format of a UUID is always the same, making it easily recognizable.
- Uniqueness: The generation of a UUID guarantees practical uniqueness, minimizing the risk of identifier collisions across different systems.
Versions of a UUID
Several versions of a UUID are defined by the standard:
- Version 1: Based on a combination of time and MAC address (hardware).
- Version 2: Based on identity and domain.
- Version 3: Based on MD5 hashing.
- Version 4: Randomly generated using random or pseudo-random values.
- Version 5: Based on SHA-1 hashing and a namespace.
Version 4, the most commonly used, is the default version in this tool.
Why use a UUID instead of an auto-incremented sequence?
In a complex computing system, it is likely to have multiple types of business objects with identical auto-incremented numbers.
First example: Your system has two databases of people, and if each database starts incrementing at 1, identifier collisions will occur. As a result, data merging will no longer be possible.
- Database A: ID: 1, 2, 3
- Database B: ID: 1, 2, 3, 4
Second example: Your system has multiple instances of the same application to ensure adequate scalability. Implementing UUID generation simplifies the management of unique identifiers.
Third example: Your system uses an integer as a sequence for unique identifiers. This sequence is limited to generating 2,147,483,647 identifiers, which may seem like a large margin but can become a constraint for systems at a very large scale.
Utility
Need to quickly generate UUIDs for your tests? This tool is made for you! In just one click, get a list of ready-to-use UUIDs.