Question 1

How does unique-random compare to Math.random()?

Accepted Answer

Unique-random adds uniqueness constraints to prevent consecutive or exhaustive repeats, while Math.random() provides pure randomness with no guarantees. It's better for slideshows or games where repeats are undesirable, but has overhead for enforcing uniqueness.

Question 2

Can I use unique-random for cryptographic security?

Accepted Answer

No, unique-random is not designed for cryptographic purposes; it uses standard pseudo-random generation. For secure randomness, consider Node.js' crypto module or libraries like crypto-random-string mentioned in related projects.

Question 3

How to generate unique random numbers in a loop without duplicates?

Accepted Answer

Use the iterable interface: for (const num of random) { ... } with exhaustiveUniqueRandom to ensure no repeats until the range is exhausted. This leverages the built-in iteration shown in the README.

Question 4

What's the difference between consecutive and exhaustive modes?

Accepted Answer

Consecutive mode prevents immediate repeats (e.g., no two same slides in a row), while exhaustive mode ensures all numbers in the range appear before any repeat, useful for full coverage scenarios like random sampling.

Question 5

Is unique-random good for shuffling arrays?

Accepted Answer

It can be adapted, but unique-random-array is a better choice for direct array shuffling with uniqueness. Unique-random generates numbers, so you'd need to map indices, which may be less efficient.

Question 6

How to reset the random sequence in unique-random?

Accepted Answer

The library doesn't support resetting or seeding; to start a new sequence, create a new instance by calling consecutiveUniqueRandom or exhaustiveUniqueRandom again with the same parameters, as each call initializes a fresh generator.

unique-random

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