Use UUID v4 for General Purpose
UUID v4 is the most common choice for general applications due to its randomness and security.
How to Use UUIDs
Learn best practices for implementing UUIDs in your applications, choosing the right version, and avoiding common pitfalls.
When to Use UUIDs
Choose UUIDs when you need unique identifiers across distributed systems
✅ Good Use Cases
- Distributed database primary keys
- API resource identifiers
- Session and request tracking
- File and document naming
- Microservices communication
⚠️ Consider Carefully
- High-performance applications (use integers)
- Human-readable identifiers needed
- Storage space is critical
- Sequential ordering is required
Best Practices
Perfect for Database Keys
UUIDs work excellently as primary keys in distributed systems and prevent ID conflicts.
Ideal for APIs
Use UUIDs for request tracking, session management, and resource identification.
Consider Storage Size
UUIDs are 128-bit (16 bytes), larger than sequential integers. Consider this for performance.
Implementation Examples
How to generate UUIDs in popular programming languages
Node.js with crypto module
JavaScript
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Using uuid module
Python
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Using java.util.UUID
Java
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Using System.Guid
C#
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UUID Version Comparison
Choose the right UUID version for your specific needs and requirements.
| Version | Method | Uniqueness | Use Case | Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UUID v4 | Random | Very High | General purpose | High |
| UUID v1 | Timestamp + MAC | High | Sortable IDs | Low |
| GUID | Random (v4) | Very High | Microsoft systems | High |
Quick Start Guide
Start Using UUIDs in Your Project
Generate UUIDs for your applications with our free tools. Choose the version that best fits your needs.