uzid

Uzid

Uzid is a simple library for generating unique, sortable IDs based on a timestamp and random characters. It is designed to be lightweight and easy to use.

Features

• Unique: Generates unique IDs with minimal collision risk
• Sortable: IDs are lexicographically sortable by generation time
• Customizable: Configurable base encoding, prefixes, and random suffix length
• Lightweight: Zero dependencies, ~1KB bundle size
• TypeScript: Full TypeScript support with type definitions

Installation

You can install Uzid via npm:

npm install uzid

Usage

Basic Usage

import { Uzid } from "uzid";

// Create a Uzid instance
const uzid = new Uzid();

// Generate a single ID
const id = uzid.generate();
console.log(id); // e.g., "t3amzcxe4j"

// Generate multiple IDs using multiple method
const multipleIds = uzid.multiple(3);
console.log(multipleIds); // e.g., [ 't3an4ku74i', 't3an4kiwa4', 't3an4kyf6n' ]

// Generate random string only (without timestamp and prefix)
const randomStr = uzid.random();
console.log(randomStr); // e.g., "92f9" (only random characters, length based on configured length, default 4)

Configuration Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
prefix	string	""	Prefix for identification across different sources
base	36 | 62	36	Encoding base. 36 for alphanumeric, 62 for alphanumeric with uppercase
length	number	4	Length of the random part only (0-20), does not include prefix or timestamp
precision	“ms” | undefined	undefined	Timestamp precision. “ms” for milliseconds, undefined for seconds

const postID = new Uzid({
  prefix: "post_", // prefix for identification, default ""
  base: 36, // Base for encoding (36 for alphanumeric, 62 for alphanumeric with uppercase) default 36
  length: 8, // length of random part only, default 4
  precision: "ms", // timestamp precision: "ms" for milliseconds, undefined for seconds
});
console.log(postID.generate()); // e.g., "post_mg3jlzxm7n8jbozs"

Different Encoding Bases

// Alphanumeric (base 36) - default
const alphaUzid = new Uzid({ base: 36 });
console.log(alphaUzid.generate()); // e.g., "t3anaya15p"

// Alphanumeric with uppercase (base 62)
const fullUzid = new Uzid({ base: 62 });
console.log(fullUzid.generate()); // e.g., "1V2OuzUYKB"

Timestamp Precision

Configure timestamp precision for different use cases:

// Default: Second precision (less precise but shorter IDs)
const secondPrecision = new Uzid();
console.log(secondPrecision.generate()); // e.g., "t3anaya15p" length 10

// Millisecond precision (more precise but longer IDs)
const msPrecision = new Uzid({ precision: "ms" });
console.log(msPrecision.generate()); // e.g., "mg3jsynd4vpv" length 12

Using Prefixes

Use prefixes to distinguish IDs from different sources, databases or tables:

const serverUzid = new Uzid({ prefix: "srv1" });
const clientUzid = new Uzid({ prefix: "db0" });

console.log(serverUzid.generate()); // e.g., "srv1t3anaya15p"
console.log(clientUzid.generate()); // e.g., "db0t3anaya15p"

Working with Random Strings

Generate random strings without timestamps or prefixes:

const uzid = new Uzid({ length: 6, base: 62 });

// Generate just a random string (no prefix, no timestamp)
const randomStr = uzid.random(); // e.g., "6TG5r3"
console.log(randomStr.length); // 6 (exactly the configured length)

// Compare with full ID generation
const fullId = uzid.generate(); // e.g., "1a2b3c4a3X9kL" (timestamp + random)
console.log(fullId.length); // > 6 (timestamp + random part)

Bulk Generation

When you need to generate multiple unique IDs at once, calling generate() repeatedly within the same second can result in collisions. To guarantee uniqueness across multiple IDs, use generate(count) or multiple(count):

const uzid = new Uzid();
console.log(uzid.generate(3)); // e.g., [ 't3ao7zhk3h', 't3ao7zqf8d', 't3ao7za2x2' ]
console.log(uzid.multiple(3)); // e.g., [ 't3ao7zhk3h', 't3ao7zqf8d', 't3ao7za2x2' ]

API Reference

Class: Uzid

Constructor

import { Uzid } from "uzid";
new Uzid(options?: UzidOptions)

Methods

generate(): string

Generates a single unique ID.

Returns: A unique ID string with timestamp and random suffix

generate(count: number): string[]

Generates an array of unique IDs.

Parameters:

• count - Number of IDs to generate (must be > 1)

Returns: Array of unique ID strings

multiple(count: number): string[]

Generates multiple unique IDs (alternative to generate(count)).

Parameters:

• count - Number of IDs to generate (must be > 1)

Returns: Array of unique ID strings

random(): string

Generates a random string without timestamp or prefix.

Returns: A random string of configured length using the configured base (contains only random characters)

verify(id: string): boolean

Verifies if a string is a valid ID generated by this Uzid instance.

Parameters:

• id - The ID string to verify

Returns: true if valid, false otherwise

Interfaces

UzidOptions

interface UzidOptions {
  prefix?: string; // Prefix for identification, default ""
  base?: 36 | 62; // Base for encoding (36 for alphanumeric, 62 for alphanumeric with uppercase), default 36
  length?: number; // Length of random part only (0-20), does not include prefix or timestamp, default 4
  precision?: "ms"; // Timestamp precision: "ms" for milliseconds, undefined for seconds, default undefined
}

ID Structure

Each generated ID consists of:

1. Prefix (optional): User-defined string for identification
2. Timestamp: Encoded timestamp (seconds by default, or milliseconds if precision is “ms”)
3. Random part: Random characters for uniqueness (length configured by the length option)

Example: srv1 + t3ao7zhk3h + d4e5

Note: The length configuration only affects the random part, not the total ID length.

Sortable IDs

IDs are lexicographically sortable by generation time due to the timestamp-based prefix:

const uzid = new Uzid();
const ids = [
  uzid.generate(),
  // ... wait some time ...
  uzid.generate(),
];

console.log(ids[1] > ids[0]); // true (newer ID is lexicographically greater)

License

MIT

Author

Jiten Bansal

Sponsors

PitchWall

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