ID

ID

Cross-runtime ID generators for Deno, Bun, and Node.js — NanoID, CUID, CUID2, ULID, MongoDB ObjectID, and sequential/simple IDs.

Overview

The ID package provides high-performance ID generators optimized for different scenarios: compact URLs (NanoID), distributed systems (ObjectID, ULID), sequential ordering (SequenceID), date-sequential IDs (SimpleID), and collision-resistant IDs with privacy-preserving format (CUID, CUID2). All generators are collision-resistant, cryptographically secure where appropriate, and work seamlessly across Deno, Bun, Node.js, Cloudflare Workers, and browsers — the process-identifier component that ObjectID/SequenceID mix in for cross-process uniqueness degrades to 0 where no process ID is exposed (Workers, browsers), which is documented, not a functional break.

Key Features

• ✅ Multiple ID formats - Choose the right ID type for your use case
• ✅ High performance - Optimized generators with minimal overhead
• ✅ Collision resistant - Cryptographically secure random generation
• ✅ URL-safe - All IDs work in URLs without encoding
• ✅ Sortable options - Timestamp-based ordering with ULID and SequenceID
• ✅ MongoDB-inspired - ObjectID uses a MongoDB-style layout (not the canonical 24-char hex — see ObjectID docs)
• ✅ Dependency-light - only the @tundralibs/compat and @tundralibs/utils workspace siblings, no third-party runtime deps
• ✅ Runtime agnostic - Works on Deno, Bun, Node.js, Cloudflare Workers, and browsers

Documentation

Topic	Description
NanoID	Compact, URL-safe IDs with custom alphabets
ObjectID	MongoDB-inspired mixed-radix identifiers
ULID	Sortable, timestamp-based universally unique
CUID	Process-sortable 25-char c-prefixed IDs
CUID2	Cryptographically secure, privacy-preserving
SequenceID	Sequential IDs with timestamp and counter
SimpleID	Date-sequential, human-readable IDs
Comparison Guide	Feature comparison and use case recommendations
Performance	Benchmarks and optimization tips

Installation

Deno:

deno add @tundralibs/id

Bun:

bunx jsr add @tundralibs/id

Node.js:

npx jsr add @tundralibs/id

Direct import (Deno):

import { cuid, cuid2, nanoID, ObjectID, ulid } from 'jsr:@tundralibs/id';

Quick Start

NanoID - Compact & URL-Safe

import { nanoID } from '@tundralibs/id';

// Default 21-character ID
const id = nanoID();
// => 'g0b30yv24uuo0grjvi6su'

// Custom length
const shortId = nanoID(10);
// => 'ridvgi_4p7'

// Custom alphabet
import { NUMBERS } from '@tundralibs/id';
const numericId = nanoID(8, NUMBERS);
// => '12345678'

ObjectID - MongoDB-inspired

import { ObjectID } from '@tundralibs/id';

// Create new ObjectID — 26-char mixed-radix string, NOT canonical 24-char hex
const genId = ObjectID();
const id = genId();
// => '65a1b2c3019aB30c1f4q000001'

// Custom starting counter + explicit machine ID (its length widens the ID)
const existing = ObjectID(1000, 'server01');
const serverId = existing();
// => e.g. '65a1b2c3019server010c1f4q001001' (31 chars: the 8-char machine ID)

ULID - Sortable & Unique

import { monotonicUlid, ulid } from '@tundralibs/id';

// Standard ULID
const id = ulid();
// => '01ARZ3NDEKTSV4RRFFQ69G5FAV'

// Monotonic ULID (guaranteed sort order)
const id1 = monotonicUlid();
const id2 = monotonicUlid();
// id2 > id1 even if generated in same millisecond

CUID - Process-Sortable, c-Prefixed

import { cuid } from '@tundralibs/id';

const id = cuid();
// => 'clrwk6yt40001qz2ek6f7r2t1'
// Format: c + 8-char timestamp + 4-char counter + 4-char fingerprint + 8 random chars
// IDs minted in the same process sort lexicographically by creation order.

CUID2 - Cryptographically Secure, Privacy-Preserving

import { cuid2 } from '@tundralibs/id';

const id = cuid2(); // 24-char default
// => 'k3rj9xn8q1p7m2w5y6h4t8d9'

const longerId = cuid2(32); // 24..32 supported

Unlike CUID and ULID, CUID2 has no embedded timestamp — minting time can't be reconstructed from the ID. Use for public-facing tokens (magic links, password reset, verification codes).

SequenceID - Sequential with Timestamp

import { sequenceID } from '@tundralibs/id';

// Create sequential IDs
const seq = sequenceID();
const id1 = seq();
// => 72623859790382856n

const id2 = seq();
// => 72623859790382857n

SimpleID - Date-Sequential

import { simpleID } from '@tundralibs/id';

// Default date-based ID with counter
const gen = simpleID();
const id = gen();
// => 202412260001n (YYYYMMDDNNNN)

// Custom counter length
const orderGen = simpleID(0, 6);
const orderId = orderGen();
// => 20241226000001n

Which ID Should I Use?

• URLs and public IDs: NanoID (compact, customizable)
• Traceable distributed IDs: ObjectID (embedded timestamp + machine + counter)
• Distributed systems: ULID (sortable, timestamp-based)
• Process-sortable, c-prefixed: CUID (25-char, ParallelDrive convention)
• Tokens / public IDs where minting time must stay private: CUID2
• Sequential ordering: SequenceID (ordered with counter)
• Date-sequential counters: SimpleID (predictable, human-readable)

See the Comparison Guide for detailed recommendations.

License

MIT

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