About the Handiwork UUID Generator
The UUID Generator creates universally unique identifiers (UUIDs/GUIDs) on demand. Generate random version 4 UUIDs or time-based version 1 UUIDs, produce them one at a time or in bulk, and copy them straight into your database, code, or configuration.
How to use the Handiwork UUID Generator
- Choose the UUID version (v4 random or v1 time-based).
- Generate a single UUID or a batch of them.
- Copy the identifiers you need.
UUID v4 vs. v1
UUID v4 is generated from random numbers and is the most common choice because it reveals no information about when or where it was created. UUID v1 is based on a timestamp and is roughly sortable by creation time, which can be useful when ordering matters.
Why use UUIDs?
UUIDs let independent systems create unique identifiers without coordinating with a central authority, which avoids collisions when merging data, generating database primary keys, naming files, or tracking distributed events.
Frequently asked questions
Are these UUIDs really unique?
UUID v4 has 122 bits of randomness, making collisions astronomically unlikely — for practical purposes you can treat each generated value as unique.
What is the difference between a UUID and a GUID?
They are the same thing. GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) is Microsoft’s name for a UUID; the format is identical.