Generate UUID in Python

Python offers UUID generation in its standard library

import uuid

# generate UUID version 1 - time based
uuid.uuid1()

# generate UUID version 3 - deterministic and hashed with MD5
uuid.uuid3(uuid.uuid4(), "name")

# generate UUID version 4 - random
uuid.uuid4()

# generate UUID version 5 - deterministic and hashed with SHA-1
uuid.uuid5(uuid.uuid4(), "name")

Advanced Python Usage

UUID Utility Functions:

import uuid
import re

def generate_uuid_v4():
    """Generate a random UUID version 4"""
    return str(uuid.uuid4())

def generate_deterministic_uuid(name, namespace=None):
    """Generate deterministic UUID v5 from name"""
    if namespace is None:
        namespace = uuid.NAMESPACE_URL
    return str(uuid.uuid5(namespace, name))

def is_valid_uuid(uuid_string):
    """Validate UUID format"""
    uuid_pattern = re.compile(
        r'^[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{12}$',
        re.IGNORECASE
    )
    return bool(uuid_pattern.match(uuid_string))

def get_uuid_version(uuid_string):
    """Get UUID version from string"""
    try:
        uuid_obj = uuid.UUID(uuid_string)
        return uuid_obj.version
    except ValueError:
        return None

Django Integration:

# models.py
import uuid
from django.db import models

class User(models.Model):
    id = models.UUIDField(primary_key=True, default=uuid.uuid4, editable=False)
    name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    email = models.EmailField()
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)

    def __str__(self):
        return f"{self.name} ({self.id})"

Flask API Example:

from flask import Flask, jsonify
import uuid
from datetime import datetime

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/api/uuid')
def generate_uuid():
    return jsonify({
        'uuid': str(uuid.uuid4()),
        'timestamp': datetime.now().isoformat()
    })

@app.route('/api/uuid/<name>')
def generate_named_uuid(name):
    return jsonify({
        'uuid': str(uuid.uuid5(uuid.NAMESPACE_URL, name)),
        'name': name,
        'deterministic': True
    })

UUID Version Comparison

Choose the right version for your Python application:

• Version 1 - Time-based, includes MAC address
• Version 3 - MD5 namespace-based, deterministic
• Version 4 - Random, most popular choice
• Version 5 - SHA-1 namespace-based, more secure than v3
• Version 6 - Time-ordered, better than v1 for databases
• Version 7 - Modern time-based with improved sorting

For Python applications:

• Django models: Use Version 4 for primary keys
• Data processing: Consider Version 5 for deterministic IDs
• Time-series data: Use Version 7 for chronological ordering

How do I generate UUID in other languages?

Web development languages:

• JavaScript - crypto.randomUUID() & uuid library
• TypeScript - Type-safe UUID generation
• PHP - Laravel and Symfony frameworks

Systems programming:

• Java - Enterprise applications
• Bash - uuidgen command-line tool
• Go - google/uuid package
• Rust - uuid crate

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