Generate secure Nano IDs instantly! Free online tool creates compact, URL-safe unique identifiers 42% shorter than UUID. Perfect for databases, APIs & distributed systems.
Generate secure Nano IDs instantly with our free online Nano ID Generator. Create compact, URL-safe unique identifiers that are 21 characters long and perfect for modern web applications, databases, and distributed systems.
A Nano ID Generator is a powerful online tool that creates tiny, secure, URL-friendly unique string identifiers for modern web applications. Unlike traditional UUID generators, our free Nano ID Generator produces compact, collision-resistant identifiers perfect for distributed systems, database records, and web applications requiring short, secure IDs.
Nano ID Generators offer superior advantages over standard UUID solutions:
Using our Nano ID Generator is simple and instant:
Nano IDs are generated using a cryptographically strong random number generator and a customizable alphabet. The default implementation uses:
This combination provides a good balance between ID length and collision probability.
The formula for generating a Nano ID is:
1id = random(alphabet, size)
2Where random is a function that selects size number of characters from the alphabet with a cryptographically secure random number generator.
Length: You can adjust the length of the generated Nano ID. The default is 21 characters, but it can be increased for higher uniqueness or decreased for shorter IDs.
Alphabet: The character set used to generate the ID can be customized. Options include:
Nano IDs are designed to be:
Collision probability depends on the ID length and the number of IDs generated. The probability of a collision can be calculated using the formula:
1P(collision) = 1 - e^(-k^2 / (2n))
2Where:
For example, with the default settings (64 character alphabet, 21 character length), you need to generate ~1.36e36 IDs to have a 1% probability of at least one collision. To put this in perspective:
Our Nano ID Generator is perfect for numerous applications across different industries:
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Nano ID | Short, URL-friendly, customizable | Not sequential |
| UUID | Standardized, very low collision probability | Long (36 characters), not URL-friendly |
| Auto-increment | Simple, sequential | Not suitable for distributed systems, predictable |
| ULID | Time-sortable, URL-friendly | Longer than Nano ID (26 characters) |
| KSUID | Time-sortable, URL-friendly | Longer than Nano ID (27 characters) |
| ObjectID | Includes timestamp and machine identifier | Not as random, 12 bytes long |
Nano ID was created by Andrey Sitnik in 2017 as a more compact alternative to UUID. It was designed to be easy to use in various programming languages and environments, with a focus on web applications.
Here are examples of generating Nano IDs in different programming languages:
1// JavaScript
2import { nanoid } from 'nanoid';
3const id = nanoid(); // => "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT"
41## Python
2import nanoid
3id = nanoid.generate() # => "kqTSU2WGQPJzuWxfifTRX"
41## Ruby
2require 'nanoid'
3id = Nanoid.generate # => "7nj0iuNXoE0GnQNuH3b7v"
41// Java
2import com.aventrix.jnanoid.jnanoid.NanoIdUtils;
3String id = NanoIdUtils.randomNanoId(); // => "ku-gFr4Zx9QpfvLtO_8LH"
41// C#
2using Nanoid;
3var id = Nanoid.Generate(); // => "xGx2iKPNOEpGQBgJKU-Ow"
41// PHP
2<?php
3use Hidehalo\Nanoid\Client;
4$client = new Client();
5$id = $client->generateId(); // => "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT"
6?>
71// Rust
2use nanoid::nanoid;
3let id = nanoid!(); // => "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT"
41// Go
2import "github.com/matoous/go-nanoid/v2"
3id, err := gonanoid.New() // => "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT"
41// Swift
2import NanoID
3let id = NanoID.new() // => "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT"
4Follow these Nano ID Generator best practices for optimal results:
To implement a Nano ID generator in a web application:
Example Express.js implementation:
1const express = require('express');
2const { nanoid } = require('nanoid');
3
4const app = express();
5
6app.get('/generate-id', (req, res) => {
7 const id = nanoid();
8 res.json({ id });
9});
10
11app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'));
12Nano ID generation is generally very fast. On a typical computer, it can generate millions of IDs per second. However, consider the following:
To mitigate collision risks:
When working with Nano IDs in databases:
VARCHAR or equivalent string type.Example SQL for creating a table with a Nano ID:
1CREATE TABLE users (
2 id VARCHAR(21) PRIMARY KEY,
3 name VARCHAR(100),
4 email VARCHAR(100)
5);
6
7CREATE INDEX idx_users_id ON users (id);
8By following these guidelines and understanding the characteristics of Nano IDs, you can effectively implement and use them in your applications to generate compact, unique identifiers.
Nano ID Generators create shorter, more efficient identifiers compared to UUIDs. While UUIDs are 36 characters long, Nano IDs are only 21 characters, making them more suitable for URLs, databases, and user-facing applications where brevity matters.
Our Nano ID Generator uses cryptographically secure random number generation, making the IDs unpredictable and suitable for security-sensitive applications. The collision probability is extremely low - you'd need to generate over 1.36e36 IDs to have a 1% chance of collision.
Yes, our Nano ID Generator allows full customization of ID length. While the default is 21 characters, you can increase the length for higher uniqueness requirements or decrease it for shorter IDs, depending on your specific use case.
The Nano ID Generator supports multiple character sets including:
Absolutely! Nano IDs make excellent database primary keys because they're unique, compact, and don't reveal sequence information. Store them as VARCHAR(21) with proper indexing for optimal performance.
Our Nano ID Generator is extremely fast, capable of generating millions of IDs per second on typical hardware. Performance depends on your system's random number generator and chosen ID configuration.
No, Nano IDs are not time-sortable by design. They're completely random to ensure unpredictability. If you need time-sortable IDs, consider alternatives like ULID or KSUID, though they are longer than Nano IDs.
Yes, Nano ID Generators are perfect for distributed systems because they don't require coordination between nodes. Each system can independently generate unique IDs without collision risk, making them ideal for microservices and distributed architectures.
Nano IDs are 42% shorter than UUIDs (21 vs 36 characters), URL-safe by default, and offer customizable lengths and alphabets. UUIDs follow a fixed format with hyphens, while Nano IDs use a compact, web-friendly format without special characters.
While this Nano ID Generator creates one ID per click, you can use the generate button repeatedly. For bulk generation in code, use Nano ID libraries with loops: Array.from({length: 100}, () => nanoid()) generates 100 IDs instantly in JavaScript.
Yes! Nano IDs are ideal for user-facing URLs because they're URL-safe, compact, and readable. They're commonly used in URL shorteners, share links, and public-facing identifiers where shorter URLs improve user experience and shareability.
Yes, Nano IDs generated with the default settings use cryptographically secure random generation (CSPRNG), making them suitable for session tokens, API keys, and authentication codes. Always use the standard 21+ character length for security-critical applications.
Ready to create secure, unique identifiers for your projects? Our free Nano ID Generator makes it simple:
ā Instant Generation: Get secure IDs in milliseconds
ā Full Customization: Adjust length and character sets
ā No Registration: Use our tool completely free
ā Developer-Friendly: Copy-paste ready for any programming language
Use our Nano ID Generator tool above to start creating custom IDs for your applications right now. Whether you need database keys, session tokens, or API identifiers, generate as many secure Nano IDs as your project requires.
Meta Title: Free Nano ID Generator - Secure URL-Safe Unique IDs Online Meta Description: Generate secure Nano IDs instantly! Free online tool creates compact, URL-safe unique identifiers 42% shorter than UUID. Perfect for databases, APIs & distributed systems.
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