UUID Generator

What is a UUID?

A UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) is a 128-bit identifier that is unique across time and space. Also known as GUID (Globally Unique Identifier), UUIDs are used in databases, distributed systems, and APIs to create unique identifiers without a central authority.

UUID Versions

• UUID v4 (Random): Generated using random or pseudo-random numbers. Most commonly used. 122 bits of randomness provides approximately 5.3 x 10^36 possible values.
• UUID v1 (Timestamp): Generated using the current timestamp and MAC address. Useful when ordering matters.

UUID Format

A standard UUID looks like: 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000

It consists of 32 hexadecimal digits displayed in 5 groups separated by hyphens: 8-4-4-4-12.

Use Cases

• Database primary keys
• Session identifiers
• Distributed system unique IDs
• File naming and deduplication
• API request tracking