Create and translate standard UUIDs with shorter formats.
npm install short-uuid


Generate and translate standard UUIDs into shorter - or just different - formats and back.
``javascript
import { generate, createTranslator } from 'short-uuid';
// Generate a short, Base58-encoded UUID immediately:
generate(); // fXqde8UM1CJcfYQVjSaS1E
const translator = createTranslator(); // Default is flickrBase58
translator.generate(); // s2J87kzwLTpm6sy7PjTceZ
`
`javascript
const short = require('short-uuid');
// Generate a short, Base58-encoded UUID immediately:
short.generate(); // 73WakrfVbNJBaAmhQtEeDv
// Or create a translator and generate using its method:
const translator = short.createTranslator(); // Default is flickrBase58
translator.generate(); // mhvXdrZT4jP5T8vBxuvm75
`
by default. method in favor of existing generate.
- 🛑 Removes the uuid method on the default export (previously imported from uuid/v4).
- 🛑 Removes createTranslator as default export.
- 🛑 The default generate method assumes crypto.randomUUID is available and may error prior to Node 18.
- ⚠️ Node 18 and lower may require passing a uuid generator to the translator.$3
short-uuid starts with RFC4122 v4-compliant UUIDs and translates them
into other, usually shorter formats. It also provides translators
to convert back and forth from RFC-compliant UUIDs to the shorter formats,
and validate the IDs.By default, shortened values are padded for consistent length. This can be disabled.
As of 6.0.0, short-uuid uses the native
crypto.randomUUID method to generate UUIDs.
It can also accept alternative UUID generators, such as uuidv7.
Node 14.17.0 and later support crypto.randomUUID, but may require passing the UUID generator to the translator.#### Creating Translators
`js
const short = require('short-uuid');
const { uuidv7 } = require('uuidv7');// Use the default 'flickrBase58' alphabet
const defaultTranslator = short.createTranslator();
// Provide a custom alphabet (string with unique characters)
const decimalTranslator = short.createTranslator('0123456789');
decimalTranslator.generate(); // 340094463662231729161759792859809060270
// Use built-in constants for common alphabets
const cookieTranslator = short.createTranslator(short.constants.cookieBase90);
cookieTranslator.generate(); // 2TsOi>J4~x&|gunsEt/F
// Use an alternative UUID generator
const v7translator = short.createTranslator({ uuid: uuidv7 });
v7translator.generate(); // 1cuDCtXJn1XgatiyAGv63h
// Use a custom alphabet and options
const customV7translator = short.createTranslator(
'0123456789abcdef',
{ uuid: uuidv7 }
);
customV7translator.generate(); // 019ad63fa3857c74b6db3fae12026b48
`#### Encoding and Decoding
`js
// Create a translator
const translator = short.createTranslator();// Generate a short-encoded UUID
const shortId = translator.generate(); // mhvXdrZT4jP5T8vBxuvm75
// Convert from short-encoded to standard UUID
const fullUUID = translator.toUUID(shortId); // a44521d0-0fb8-4ade-8002-3385545c3318
// Convert from standard UUID to short-encoded format
const shortAgain = translator.fromUUID(fullUUID); // mhvXdrZT4jP5T8vBxuvm75
`#### Validation
`js
// Check if a string has the correct length and alphabet
translator.validate(shortId); // true or false// Check if it also translates to a valid RFC4122 UUID
translator.validate(shortId, true); // true if valid
translator.validate('0000000000000000000000', true); // false
`#### Plain UUIDs
`js
// Each translator also exposes the uuid function it uses to generate UUIDs
const uuidFromTranslator = defaultTranslator.uuid();
`$3
The
createTranslator method supports several arguments:`javascript
short.createTranslator(alphabet);
short.createTranslator(alphabet, options);
short.createTranslator(options);
`*
alphabet - The alphabet to use for translation. Defaults to short.constants.flickrBase58.
* consistentLength - Controls padding on shortened values. Default is true.
* uuid - A function that generates a UUID. Defaults to crypto.randomUUID.`javascript
// import does not expose a default export
import { constants, createTranslator } from 'short-uuid';// By default shortened values are now padded for consistent length.
// If you want to produce variable lengths, like in 3.1.1
const translator = createTranslator(constants.flickrBase58, {
consistentLength: false,
});
// Generate a shortened v4 UUID
translator.generate(); // mhvXdrZT4jP5T8vBxuvm75
``short-uuid 6.x
and later is tested on Node 14.17.x and later.
Original TypeScript definitions by
alexturek.
Please see Releases for information on previous versions.