@lukeed/uuid
A tiny (~230B) and fast UUID (v4) generator for Node.js and the browser, available in both non-secure and cryptographically secure modes.
What is @lukeed/uuid?
@lukeed/uuid is a lightweight, high-speed library for generating RFC4122 Version 4 UUIDs (random-based unique identifiers). It solves the need for a minimal, fast, and reliable UUID generator in both Node.js and browser environments, offering a significant performance advantage over many other solutions.
Developers building applications in Node.js or the browser that require efficient, low-overhead generation of unique identifiers, particularly those concerned with bundle size and runtime performance.
Developers choose @lukeed/uuid for its exceptional speed and tiny size, which outperforms alternatives like the `uuid` package, while providing the flexibility of both non-secure and cryptographically secure generation modes in a simple, well-optimized package.
Overview
A tiny (~230B)and fast UUID (V4) generator for Node and the browser
Use Cases
Best For
- Generating unique identifiers in performance-critical applications
- Reducing bundle size in frontend projects where every byte counts
- Applications needing cryptographically secure UUIDs in the browser or Node.js
- Projects that require compatibility across Node.js, ESM, and CommonJS environments
- Replacing slower UUID libraries like `uuid` for V4 generation
- High-throughput systems where UUID generation speed impacts overall performance
Not Ideal For
- Projects requiring UUID versions other than v4 (e.g., time-based v1 or namespaced v5)
- Applications needing built-in UUID validation, parsing, or serialization features
- Environments lacking crypto support where secure UUIDs are mandatory (e.g., very old browsers without crypto.getRandomValues)
- Teams wanting a comprehensive UUID library with all RFC4122 versions in a single package
Pros & Cons
Pros
The default mode is only ~231 bytes gzipped, minimizing impact on web bundles and making it ideal for frontend performance optimization.
Benchmarks show over 6 million ops/sec in Node.js, significantly outpacing alternatives like the uuid package due to optimized buffer allocation and hexadecimal pair composition.
Offers both a fast non-secure mode using Math.random and a secure mode leveraging the environment's crypto module, catering to different security and performance needs.
Works in Node.js and all browsers with preconfigured ESM, CommonJS, and UMD builds, ensuring seamless integration across diverse project setups.
Cons
Only generates UUID v4; developers needing v1, v3, or v5 must use other libraries, limiting its utility for projects with diverse UUID requirements.
The secure mode relies on the environment's crypto module, which may not be available in all contexts, such as legacy browsers or restricted environments, forcing a fallback to non-secure mode.
Version 2.0.0 moved the secure export to a separate path, which could break existing implementations and require code updates during migration, as noted in the README.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
nanoidA tiny (118 bytes), secure, URL-friendly, unique string ID generator for JavaScript
uidA tiny (130B to 205B) and fast utility to generate random IDs of fixed length
hexoidA tiny (190B) and extremely fast utility to generate random IDs of fixed length
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