How to Generate UUID in Python

UUID stands for Universally Unique Identifier. It is a 128-bit value that is used to identify unique objects. The main purpose of generating UUID in Python is to create unique identifiers for objects that can be used in distributed and high concurrent systems like web development, databases, messaging services, and more.

UUID is a global standard that is defined by RFC 4122 and has diverse variations that provide different formats and algorithms for generating UUIDs. The most commonly used UUID versions are UUIDv1 and UUIDv4.

Generating UUID in Python

Python provides an in-built UUID module, which we can use to generate UUIDs. The module has a uuid4 function that generates UUIDv4.

To use the uuid4() function, we first need to import the uuid module.

import uuid

Once we import the uuid module, we can use the uuid4() function to generate a UUID.

uuid_obj = uuid.uuid4()

The uuid_obj contains the UUID value in the format of:

UUID('uuuuuuuu-uuuu-Muuu-Nuuu-uuuuuuuuuuuu')

Where M is the UUID version number and N is the variant number.

Example

Let’s take a look at an example:

import uuid



uuid_obj = uuid.uuid4()



print(uuid_obj)

The output of the above code will be:

8d20272e-e158-402c-a9c9-9304be4c77b2

UUIDv1 vs UUIDv4

UUIDv1 and UUIDv4 are the most commonly used UUID versions. Let’s take a look at the differences between the two:

UUIDv1:

UUIDv1 is generated using the current timestamp, MAC address of the system, and a random number. It helps in identifying the exact time when the UUID was generated, and it also provides information about the system from which it was generated. This information can be used for authentication purposes.

UUIDv1 is a sequential UUID, which means that it is generated in a sequence and can be used for sorting purposes.

UUIDv4:

UUIDv4 is generated using random numbers and provides a more random UUID than UUIDv1. UUIDv4 provides a higher probability of producing a unique UUID.

UUIDv4 is not sequential, so it cannot be used for sorting purposes.

UUID Formats

UUID has different formats that can be used to represent the UUID values generated from different versions of UUID. The most commonly used UUID formats are:

UUIDv1:

UUIDv1 has the following format:

uuid.UUID('tttttttt-ffff-1vvv-Nxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx')

Where t is the timestamp in hexadecimal format, v is the UUID version number, N is the variant number, and x is a hexadecimal digit.

UUIDv4:

UUIDv4 has the following format:

uuid.UUID('uuuuuuuu-uuuu-4uuu-Nuuu-uuuuuuuuuuuu')

Where u is a randomly generated hexadecimal digit, and N is the variant number.

FAQs

Q: What is a UUID?

A: UUID stands for Universally Unique Identifier. It is a 128-bit value that is used to identify unique objects.

Q: Why do we need UUID?

A: UUID helps in creating unique identifiers for objects that can be used in distributed and high concurrent systems like web development, databases, messaging services, and more.

Q: What is the difference between UUIDv1 and UUIDv4?

A: UUIDv1 is generated using the current timestamp, MAC address of the system, and a random number. UUIDv4 is generated using random numbers and provides a higher probability of producing a unique UUID.

Q: What are the most commonly used UUID versions?

A: The most commonly used UUID versions are UUIDv1 and UUIDv4.

Q: How do we generate UUID in Python?

A: Python provides an in-built UUID module, which we can use to generate UUIDs. The module has a uuid4 function that generates UUIDv4.