Nano ID vs uuid
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A tiny JavaScript library that generates short, random, URL-friendly unique IDs.
Open source · MIT
Generates standard-format unique IDs (UUIDs) in JavaScript, for browsers, Node.js and React Native.
The short answer
Choose Nano ID if you need…
- JavaScript or TypeScript developers who need unique IDs for new records or objects
- Projects where short, URL-safe IDs are preferred over 36-character UUIDs
- Front-end or Node.js code that wants a dependency-free ID generator
- Teams that need custom alphabets or ID lengths via customAlphabet
Choose uuid if you need…
- JavaScript or TypeScript developers who need standard-format IDs
- Front-end projects that generate IDs in the browser
- Node.js back-end code that needs unique identifiers
- React Native or Expo apps
Side-by-side
| Nano ID | uuid | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 27.1k | 15.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 21 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Nano ID
Nano ID is a small JavaScript library that creates random string identifiers, such as "V1StGXR8_Z5jdHi6B-myT", for records, objects or database entries. The README says it is about 117 bytes minified and brotlied, has no dependencies, and uses the URL-safe characters A-Za-z0-9_- so IDs can sit in web addresses. It uses a hardware-backed random source in Node.js and browsers, and the README describes it as a shorter alternative to UUID v4.
uuid
This is a JavaScript library that creates UUIDs, which are long random-looking identifiers used to tell records, requests or objects apart without a central counter. It follows the RFC 9562 standard (formerly RFC 4122) and supports multiple UUID versions, including random, timestamp-based, and name-based forms. It is installed from npm and works in TypeScript, modern browsers, Node.js and React Native.
Best for
Nano ID
- JavaScript or TypeScript developers who need unique IDs for new records or objects
- Projects where short, URL-safe IDs are preferred over 36-character UUIDs
- Front-end or Node.js code that wants a dependency-free ID generator
- Teams that need custom alphabets or ID lengths via customAlphabet
uuid
- JavaScript or TypeScript developers who need standard-format IDs
- Front-end projects that generate IDs in the browser
- Node.js back-end code that needs unique identifiers
- React Native or Expo apps
Strengths
Nano ID
- Very small and dependency-free, with the README citing 117 bytes minified and brotlied
- Uses the platform's cryptographic random source and documents its uniformity approach
- Simple API: a single nanoid() call with optional size and alphabet
uuid
- Supports all RFC 9562 UUID versions according to the README
- Zero dependencies and tree-shakable, so it adds little to bundle size
- Uses the modern crypto API for random values
Not ideal for
Nano ID
- Developers who need a standardized UUID format, since the README positions Nano ID as a UUID-like alternative rather than a UUID implementation
- Anyone generating React list keys on every render, which the README explicitly advises against
- Non-JavaScript projects, unless they use one of the ports; the README mentions over 20 languages but this entry does not verify them
uuid
- Projects that need a database-generated ID sequence instead, since this only generates IDs in code
- Anyone needing cryptographic key material; a UUID is an identifier, not a secret, and the README does not present it as one
- Non-JavaScript projects, since the README describes only JavaScript usage
Trade-offs
Nano ID
- Non-secure variant is slower and seeded custom generators are not guaranteed to produce the same output across versions
- Shorter custom sizes increase collision probability, so users must check their chosen size
- Benchmark figures in the README are from the author's environment and may not reflect your own
uuid
- CommonJS is no longer supported starting with version 12, which may matter for older projects
- The README mentions v8 is intentionally left blank, so it is not available
- The README is truncated, so some details of v6 and v7 options are not covered here
Getting started
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Nano ID and uuid?
Nano ID: A tiny JavaScript library that generates short, random, URL-friendly unique IDs. uuid: Generates standard-format unique IDs (UUIDs) in JavaScript, for browsers, Node.js and React Native. Nano ID suits javascript or typescript developers who need unique ids for new records or objects, while uuid suits javascript or typescript developers who need standard-format ids.
Are Nano ID and uuid free?
Nano ID: Free and open source. uuid: Free and open source.
Is Nano ID or uuid more popular?
Nano ID has more GitHub stars (27.1k) than uuid (15.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.