Is a GUID different from a UUID?

In everyday development, GUID and UUID usually refer to the same 128-bit identifier format. GUID is common in Microsoft ecosystems, while UUID is the standards-focused term.

Which UUID version should I use?

Use UUID v4 for simple random identifiers. Use UUID v7 when you want identifiers that are still globally unique but sort better by creation time in databases and logs.

Private browser-side generation

Online UUID Generator

No-backend UUID generator for v4, v7, GUIDs, bulk export, validation, and production guidance.

Instant copy Bulk export Browser-side

Private browser-side UUID v4 tool

UUID v4 Generator

Your UUID v4

8b9019fe-1225-4d12-9ba8-91f2fc9ffb6c

Private: generated locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.

Generate a new UUID after copying

Not sure? Use UUID v4 for random IDs, UUID v7 for sortable database IDs, and GUID for Microsoft/.NET systems.

Generated locally in your browser.No backend used.Nothing is uploaded.

Advanced options

Format

Copy formats

ShortcutsEnter/Space: generateCmd/Ctrl + C: copyB: bulkV: validate

UUID v4 Random identifiers for APIs, files, sessions and records.

UUID GeneratorCreate secure UUIDs instantly GUID GeneratorFor .NET, SQL Server and Windows Bulk UUIDsGenerate and export UUID lists UUID v5Deterministic name-based UUIDs UUID DecoderRead version, variant and timestamp UUID ValidatorCheck format, version and variant

Developer examples

Generate UUIDs in code

JavaScriptcrypto.randomUUID()Full guideTypeScriptcrypto.randomUUID()Full guidePythonuuid.uuid4()Full guideGouuid.NewString()Full guideRustUuid::new_v4()Full guideJavaUUID.randomUUID()Full guideC#Guid.NewGuid()Full guideSQLgen_random_uuid()Full guide

No-backend privacy

How this UUID generator protects your privacy

This tool runs in your browser. UUIDs are generated locally using browser-side JavaScript. The generated UUIDs are not uploaded, stored, logged, or sent to a backend server.

UUIDs are generated locally using browser-side JavaScript

UUIDs are generated locally using browser-side JavaScript.

Generated UUIDs are not uploaded, stored, logged or sent to a backend server

Generated UUIDs are not uploaded, stored, logged or sent to a backend server.

Bulk export, validation, conversion and copy formats run in the frontend

Bulk export, validation, conversion and copy formats run in the frontend.

The installable app can work offline after the first successful load

The installable app can work offline after the first successful load.

No-backend UUID generator Offline UUID generator

Practical guide

What makes this UUID generator different?

A UUID generator should do more than print one random string. A useful production tool needs strong randomness, clean formatting, bulk workflows, version-aware validation and plain-English guidance that helps developers choose the right identifier for the job.

This online UUID generator creates identifiers locally in the browser with the Web Crypto API when available. That means the generated UUIDs are not submitted to an application server for processing. You can copy one UUID, export thousands, validate pasted values, compare UUID versions and learn the tradeoffs without leaving the page.

Validate a UUID Compare versions

UUID versions

Choose the right UUID version

Version	How it works	Best use	Watch out for
UUID v4	Random 122-bit payload with version and variant bits.	General records, API resources, temporary objects and public-safe IDs.	Random insert order can fragment some database indexes at scale.
UUID v7	Unix timestamp prefix plus random data.	Database primary keys, event streams, logs and ordered ingestion.	Creation time is partially visible by design.
UUID v5 / v3	Deterministic hash of a namespace and name (SHA-1 for v5, MD5 for v3).	Stable IDs derived from URLs, paths or external keys; deduplication.	Output is predictable, so it is never a secret.
UUID v1	Timestamp plus clock sequence and node bytes.	Legacy compatibility and systems that expect v1 shape.	Classic v1 can expose machine details; this tool uses random node bytes.
GUID	UUID-compatible format commonly named GUID in Microsoft stacks.	.NET, SQL Server, Windows APIs and cross-platform integrations.	Some systems display byte order differently internally.

Why this tool

More than a basic UUID generator

Many UUID tools only print one random value. This site is a private, no-backend UUID toolkit with fast generation, validation, conversion, export options and developer-focused guidance.

Browser-side privacy

UUIDs are generated locally in the browser. No backend is used, nothing is uploaded, and generated UUIDs are not stored.

Modern UUID versions

Generate UUID v4 for random IDs, UUID v7 for ordered records, GUIDs for Microsoft stacks, and UUID v1 for legacy compatibility.

Useful bulk workflows

Create up to 10,000 UUIDs client-side, copy all values, and download TXT, CSV or JSON without a server round trip.

Validation and conversion

Validate pasted identifiers, detect version and variant, normalize formats, remove hyphens, add braces, or convert to URN format.

UUID knowledge base

Practical UUID guides for developers

Short answers are useful, but production choices need a little context. These guides cover the searches developers actually make when they are choosing UUID versions, validating input, writing code or designing database keys.

Random UUIDs

UUID v4

Generate random UUID v4 values and learn when version 4 is the right default for APIs, records, fixtures and public identifiers.

Time-ordered UUIDs

UUID v7

Generate UUID v7 values for databases, logs and event streams where natural time ordering matters.

Batch generation

Bulk UUIDs

Generate lists of UUIDs or GUIDs for seed data, tests, spreadsheets, imports and QA workflows.

Terminology guide

UUID vs GUID

Understand the difference between UUID and GUID, why both names exist, and how to handle them across Microsoft and web systems.

Validation patterns

UUID Regex

Copy practical UUID regex patterns and learn what they validate, what they miss, and when a parser is safer than a regular expression.

Code guide

JavaScript

Generate UUIDs in modern JavaScript with crypto.randomUUID, browser-safe fallbacks and practical validation notes.

Code guide

Python

Use Python UUID examples for uuid4, validation, database storage and API output.

Code guide

PHP

Generate UUIDs in PHP, validate incoming UUID strings and choose storage formats for Laravel, Symfony and plain PHP apps.

Database guide

SQL

Use UUIDs in SQL databases with practical notes for PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MySQL and indexing.

Storage decisions

Database Guide

Choose between UUID v4, UUID v7, database sequences and public IDs for real application tables.

Security guide

UUID Security

Learn what UUIDs protect, what they do not protect, and how to use UUIDs safely in URLs, APIs and databases.

Reliability guide

Collision Risk

Understand how unlikely UUID collisions are, what causes real duplicate ID incidents, and how to design safer systems.

Name-based UUIDs

UUID v5

Generate deterministic UUID v5 values from a namespace and a name using SHA-1. The same inputs always produce the same UUID.

MD5 name-based UUIDs

UUID v3

Generate deterministic UUID v3 values from a namespace and a name using MD5, for legacy systems that expect version 3 identifiers.

Inspect any UUID

UUID Decoder

Decode a UUID to reveal its version, variant and, for time-based UUIDs, the exact timestamp encoded inside it.

Comparison guide

UUID vs ULID

Compare UUID and ULID for database keys and distributed IDs, including sortability, encoding, size and when UUID v7 closes the gap.

Comparison guide

UUID vs Nano ID

Compare UUID and Nano ID for unique identifiers: length, collision safety, URL friendliness and when each is the better fit.

Encoding guide

Short UUID

Learn how to make UUIDs shorter with Base64url and Base58 encoding without losing information, and when a shorter ID is worth it.

Code guide

Go

Generate UUIDs in Go with the google/uuid package, including UUID v4, UUID v7, parsing and validation.

Code guide

Rust

Generate UUIDs in Rust with the uuid crate, including UUID v4, UUID v7, parsing and feature flags.

Code guide

Java

Generate UUIDs in Java with java.util.UUID, parse strings, and add UUID v7 with a maintained library.

Code guide

C#

Generate GUIDs in C# with Guid.NewGuid, parse and validate them, and create UUID v7 on .NET 9 and later.

Code guide

TypeScript

Generate UUIDs in TypeScript with crypto.randomUUID in browsers and Node, plus typed validation helpers.

Code guide

Ruby

Generate UUIDs in Ruby with SecureRandom.uuid, validate strings, and use UUIDs in Rails models.

Code guide

Kotlin

Generate UUIDs in Kotlin via Java interop or the multiplatform kotlin.uuid API, with parsing examples.

Code guide

C++

Generate UUIDs in C++ using Boost.UUID, with random v4 generation and string conversion examples.

Code guide

Bash

Generate UUIDs from the command line with uuidgen or /proc, including lowercase output and bulk generation.

Format converter

UUID Converter

Convert UUIDs between hyphenated, compact, uppercase, lowercase, GUID braces and URN formats in your browser.

Compact UUIDs

No Hyphens

Remove UUID hyphens or add hyphens back to compact UUID strings directly in the browser.

Uppercase UUIDs

Uppercase

Convert lowercase UUIDs to uppercase UUIDs and copy uppercase UUID or GUID values.

Lowercase UUIDs

Lowercase

Convert uppercase UUIDs to lowercase UUIDs and normalize pasted UUID or GUID values.

JSON UUID output

UUID JSON

Generate UUIDs and copy them as JSON objects, JSON arrays or downloadable JSON files.

CSV UUID output

UUID CSV

Generate UUID lists as a CSV column for spreadsheets, imports, fixtures and QA data.

SQL UUID output

SQL UUIDs

Generate UUIDs and copy SQL-friendly INSERT values for seed data and database tests.

Frontend-only UUIDs

No Backend

Generate UUIDs without a backend API, account, database or server-side UUID storage.

Installable UUID tool

Offline UUIDs

Use the UUID generator offline after first load and install it as a small browser app.

Browser UUID generation

Client-side

Generate UUIDs using client-side browser JavaScript with no UUID upload or backend storage.

Developer notes

UUID best practices for production systems

Prefer UUID v7 for ordered storage

UUID v7 keeps the practical uniqueness of UUIDs while making new values sort more naturally by creation time, which can help append-heavy database tables and log systems.

Do not use UUIDs as secrets

A UUID is an identifier, not an authentication token. Use dedicated cryptographic tokens with expiration and server-side verification for passwords, API keys and reset links.

Validate at boundaries

Check UUID format at API and form boundaries so bad identifiers fail early. Store normalized lowercase values when the surrounding system does not require another format.

FAQ

UUID generator questions

What is a UUID generator?

A UUID generator creates universally unique identifiers that can be used for database rows, API objects, distributed events, files and test data. The standard UUID shape is 36 characters with hexadecimal groups separated by hyphens.

Is this online UUID generator private?

Generation happens in the browser. The tool does not need to send generated UUID values to a server to create, copy or download them.

Should I use UUID v4 or UUID v7?

Use UUID v4 when you want simple random identifiers. Use UUID v7 when ordered insertion, time sorting or log correlation matters.

Are GUIDs and UUIDs compatible?

Most developer tools use GUID and UUID to describe the same 128-bit identifier format. GUID is the common Microsoft term; UUID is the standards-oriented term.