# Nano ID — Tiny Secure URL-Friendly Unique ID Generator

> A compact 118-byte string ID generator for JavaScript that produces URL-safe, cryptographically strong identifiers without dependencies.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Nano ID — Tiny Secure URL-Friendly Unique ID Generator

## Quick Use
```bash
npm install nanoid
```
```js
import { nanoid } from 'nanoid';
const id = nanoid(); // e.g. "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT"
```

## Introduction
Nano ID generates compact, URL-friendly, cryptographically secure unique identifiers in JavaScript. At only 118 bytes (minified and gzipped), it replaces UUID v4 in scenarios where shorter, safer IDs matter — from database primary keys to session tokens.

## What Nano ID Does
- Generates 21-character unique string IDs by default using a URL-safe alphabet (A-Za-z0-9_-)
- Uses the Web Crypto API (or Node.js crypto) for true randomness, avoiding Math.random pitfalls
- Supports custom alphabets and ID lengths for domain-specific needs
- Provides a non-secure variant for performance-critical paths where collision risk is acceptable
- Ships as an ES module with zero dependencies, keeping bundle size minimal

## Architecture Overview
Nano ID relies on a uniform distribution algorithm that maps random bytes onto a custom alphabet without modulo bias. The default alphabet contains 64 characters, so each character encodes 6 bits of entropy — a 21-character ID provides 126 bits, exceeding UUID v4's 122 bits. The library detects its runtime (browser vs. Node.js vs. Deno) and selects the appropriate cryptographic random source automatically.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via npm, pnpm, or yarn — no native addons needed
- Import from 'nanoid' (secure) or 'nanoid/non-secure' (faster, no crypto)
- Set a custom size: `nanoid(10)` for 10-character IDs
- Use `customAlphabet` to define project-specific character sets (e.g., lowercase only)
- Works in Node.js 18+, all modern browsers, Deno, Bun, and Cloudflare Workers

## Key Features
- 118 bytes gzipped — smallest secure ID generator available
- Cryptographically strong random values by default
- No modulo bias thanks to a rejection-sampling approach over the alphabet
- Fully tree-shakeable ES module with named exports
- Over 26,000 GitHub stars and 60 million weekly npm downloads

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **uuid** — generates RFC-4122 compliant 36-character strings; Nano ID is shorter and URL-safe by default
- **cuid2** — collision-resistant and sortable; Nano ID is smaller and does not require monotonic ordering
- **shortid** — deprecated due to predictability; Nano ID uses crypto-safe randomness
- **ulid** — time-sorted 26-character IDs; Nano ID is not time-ordered but more compact
- **crypto.randomUUID()** — native and fast for UUID v4; Nano ID wins on length and custom alphabets

## FAQ
**Q: Is Nano ID safe for database primary keys?**
A: Yes. With 21 characters at 64-symbol alphabet, the probability of collision is negligible even at billions of IDs, comparable to UUID v4.

**Q: Can I make IDs shorter?**
A: Yes, pass a length argument like `nanoid(12)`. Shorter IDs raise collision probability, so size it according to your dataset scale.

**Q: Does it work in edge runtimes?**
A: It works in Cloudflare Workers, Deno Deploy, Vercel Edge Functions, and any environment exposing the Web Crypto API.

**Q: How does performance compare to UUID?**
A: Nano ID benchmarks slightly slower than `crypto.randomUUID()` in Node.js but remains under 1 microsecond per call — fast enough for virtually all workloads.

## Sources
- https://github.com/ai/nanoid
- https://zelark.github.io/nano-id-cc/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-76937ee0
Author: Script Depot