Gathering detailed insights and metrics for shortid
Gathering detailed insights and metrics for shortid
Short id generator. Url-friendly. Non-predictable. Cluster-compatible.
Installations
npm install shortidDeveloper Guide
BETA
Typescript
No
Module System
CommonJS, UMD
Node Version
22.11.0
NPM Version
10.9.0
Score
99.2
Supply Chain
99.5
Quality
79.2
Maintenance
100
Vulnerability
99.6
License
Releases
Unable to fetch releases
Languages
2
JavaScript
HTML
JavaScript (96.55%)
HTML (3.45%)
Developer
Download Statistics
Total Downloads
373,992,733
Last Day
43,081
Last Week
834,897
Last Month
3,589,547
Last Year
43,593,572
GitHub Statistics
NOASSERTION License
5,736 Stars
125 Commits
254 Forks
60 Watchers
2 Branches
17 Contributors
Updated on May 30, 2025
Bundle Size
3.08 kB
Minified
1.35 kB
Minified + Gzipped
Maintainers
2
Package Meta Information
Latest Version
2.2.17
Package Id
shortid@2.2.17
Unpacked Size
21.24 kB
Size
8.67 kB
File Count
15
NPM Version
10.9.0
Node Version
22.11.0
Published on
Jan 23, 2025
Total Downloads
Cumulative downloads
Total Downloads
373,992,733
Last Day
-4.7%
43,081
Compared to previous day
Last Week
-9.6%
834,897
Compared to previous week
Last Month
1.8%
3,589,547
Compared to previous month
Last Year
-19.1%
43,593,572
Compared to previous year
Weekly Downloads
Monthly Downloads
Yearly Downloads
shortid 
Amazingly short non-sequential url-friendly unique id generator.
shortid is deprecated, because the architecture is unsafe. we instead recommend Nano ID, which has the advantage of also being significantly faster than shortid
ShortId creates amazingly short non-sequential url-friendly unique ids. Perfect for url shorteners, MongoDB and Redis ids, and any other id users might see.
- By default 7-14 url-friendly characters:
A-Z,a-z,0-9,_- - Supports
cluster(automatically), custom seeds, custom alphabet. - Can generate any number of ids without duplicates, even millions per day.
- Perfect for games, especially if you are concerned about cheating so you don't want an easily guessable id.
- Apps can be restarted any number of times without any chance of repeating an id.
- Popular replacement for Mongo ID/Mongoose ID.
- Works in Node, io.js, and web browsers.
- Includes Mocha tests.
ShortId does not generate cryptographically secure ids, so don't rely on it to make IDs which are impossible to guess.
Usage
1const shortid = require('shortid'); 2 3console.log(shortid.generate()); 4// PPBqWA9
Mongoose Unique Id
1_id: { 2 'type': String, 3 'default': shortid.generate 4},
Browser Compatibility
The best way to use shortid in the browser is via browserify or webpack.
These tools will automatically only include the files necessary for browser compatibility.
All tests will run in the browser as well:
1## build the bundle, then open Mocha in a browser to see the tests run. 2$ grunt build open
Example
1~/projects/shortid ❯ node examples/examples.js 2eWRhpRV 323TplPdS 446Juzcyx 5dBvJIh-H 62WEKaVNO 77oet_d9Z 8dogPzIz8 9nYrnfYEv 10a4vhAoFG 11hwX6aOr7
Real World Examples
shortId was created for Node Knockout 2011 winner for Most Fun Doodle Or Die.
Millions of doodles have been saved with shortId filenames. Every log message gets a shortId to make it easy
for us to look up later.
Here are some other projects that use shortId:
- bevy - A simple server to manage multiple Node services.
- capre - Cross-Server Data Replication.
- cordova-build - an alternative to phonegap build that runs on your servers/agents.
- couchdb-tools - A library of handy functions for use when working with CouchDB documents.
- CleverStack/clever-email - E-mail system for CleverStack.
- CloudTypes - JavaScript end2end implementation of the Cloud Types model for Eventual Consistency programming.
- dnode-tarantula - an asynchronous rpc and event system for node.js based on dnode-protocol and TCP sockets.
- mongoose-url-shortener - A simple URL Shortening library for NodeJS using Promises/A+ results.
- mozilla/smokejumper - The Smoke Jumper project is an effort to bring dead simple, secure, P2P file sharing to Firefox.
- shortness - Node based URL shortener that uses SQLite.
- file-db - Document database that uses directories and files to store its data, supporting nested key-value objects in named collections.
- resume-generator - Resume Generator.
- riffmint - Collaboration in musical space.
- rap1ds/dippa - Dippa Editor – A web-based LaTeX editor
API
1var shortid = require('shortid');
shortid.generate()
Returns string non-sequential unique id.
Example
1users.insert({ 2 _id: shortid.generate(), 3 name: '...', 4 email: '...' 5});
shortid.characters(string)
Default: '0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ-_'
Returns new alphabet as a string
Recommendation: If you don't like _ or -, you can to set new characters to use.
Optional
Change the characters used.
You must provide a string of all 64 unique characters. Order is not important.
The default characters provided were selected because they are url safe.
Example
1// use $ and @ instead of - and _ 2shortid.characters('0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ$@');
1// any 64 unicode characters work, but I wouldn't recommend this. 2shortid.characters('ⒶⒷⒸⒹⒺⒻⒼⒽⒾⒿⓀⓁⓂⓃⓄⓅⓆⓇⓈⓉⓊⓋⓌⓍⓎⓏⓐⓑⓒⓓⓔⓕⓖⓗⓘⓙⓚⓛⓜⓝⓞⓟⓠⓡⓢⓣⓤⓥⓦⓧⓨⓩ①②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨⑩⑪⑫');
shortid.isValid(id)
Returns boolean
Check to see if an id is a valid shortid. Note: This only means the id could have been generated by shortid, it doesn't guarantee it.
Example
1shortid.isValid('41XTDbE'); 2// true
1shortid.isValid('i have spaces');
2// falseshortid.worker(integer)
Default: process.env.NODE_UNIQUE_ID || 0
Recommendation: You typically won't want to change this.
Optional
If you are running multiple server processes then you should make sure every one has a unique worker id. Should be an integer between 0 and 16.
If you do not do this there is very little chance of two servers generating the same id, but it is theoretically possible
if both are generated in the exact same second and are generating the same number of ids that second and a half-dozen random numbers are all exactly the same.
Example
1shortid.worker(1);
shortid.seed(integer)
Default: 1
Recommendation: You typically won't want to change this.
Optional
Choose a unique value that will seed the random number generator so users won't be able to figure out the pattern of the unique ids. Call it just once in your application before using shortId and always use the same value in your application.
Most developers won't need to use this, it's mainly for testing ShortId.
If you are worried about users somehow decrypting the id then use it as a secret value for increased encryption.
Example
1shortid.seed(1000);
About the Author
Hi! Thanks for checking out this project! My name is Dylan Greene. When not overwhelmed with my two young kids I enjoy contributing
to the open source community. I'm also a tech lead at Opower. 
Here's some of my other Node projects:
| Name | Description | npm Downloads |
|---|---|---|
npm‑check | Check for outdated, incorrect, and unused dependencies. |  |
grunt‑notify | Automatic desktop notifications for Grunt errors and warnings. Supports OS X, Windows, Linux. |  |
space‑hogs | Discover surprisingly large directories from the command line. |  |
rss | RSS feed generator. Add RSS feeds to any project. Supports enclosures and GeoRSS. |  |
grunt‑prompt | Interactive prompt for your Grunt config using console checkboxes, text input with filtering, password fields. |  |
xml | Fast and simple xml generator. Supports attributes, CDATA, etc. Includes tests and examples. |  |
changelog | Command line tool (and Node module) that generates a changelog in color output, markdown, or json for modules in npmjs.org's registry as well as any public github.com repo. |  |
grunt‑attention | Display attention-grabbing messages in the terminal |  |
observatory | Beautiful UI for showing tasks running on the command line. |  |
anthology | Module information and stats for any @npmjs user |  |
grunt‑cat | Echo a file to the terminal. Works with text, figlets, ascii art, and full-color ansi. |  |
This list was generated using anthology.
License
Copyright (c) 2016 Dylan Greene, contributors.
Released under the MIT license.
Screenshots are CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike).
No vulnerabilities found.
Reason
no binaries found in the repo
Reason
license file detected
Details
- Info: project has a license file: LICENSE:0
- Warn: project license file does not contain an FSF or OSI license.
Reason
Found 3/30 approved changesets -- score normalized to 1
Reason
0 commit(s) and 0 issue activity found in the last 90 days -- score normalized to 0
Reason
no effort to earn an OpenSSF best practices badge detected
Reason
security policy file not detected
Details
- Warn: no security policy file detected
- Warn: no security file to analyze
- Warn: no security file to analyze
- Warn: no security file to analyze
Reason
project is not fuzzed
Details
- Warn: no fuzzer integrations found
Reason
branch protection not enabled on development/release branches
Details
- Warn: branch protection not enabled for branch 'master'
Reason
SAST tool is not run on all commits -- score normalized to 0
Details
- Warn: 0 commits out of 3 are checked with a SAST tool
Reason
100 existing vulnerabilities detected
Details
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-6chw-6frg-f759
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-v88g-cgmw-v5xw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-93q8-gq69-wqmw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-fwr7-v2mv-hh25
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-qwcr-r2fm-qrc7
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-v6h2-p8h4-qcjw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-cwfw-4gq5-mrqx
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-g95f-p29q-9xw4
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-grv7-fg5c-xmjg
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-x9w5-v3q2-3rhw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-w8qv-6jwh-64r5
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-hc9w-4p87-j549
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-wg6g-ppvx-927h
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-257v-vj4p-3w2h
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-pxg6-pf52-xh8x
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-h452-7996-h45h
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-3xgq-45jj-v275
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-w573-4hg7-7wgq
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-ff7x-qrg7-qggm
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-phwq-j96m-2c2q
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-ghr5-ch3p-vcr6
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-vh7m-p724-62c2
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-r9p9-mrjm-926w
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-434g-2637-qmqr
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-49q7-c7j4-3p7m
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-977x-g7h5-7qgw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-f7q4-pwc6-w24p
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-fc9h-whq2-v747
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-vjh7-7g9h-fjfh
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-rv95-896h-c2vc
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-qw6h-vgh9-j6wx
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-qrmc-fj45-qfc2
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-8r6j-v8pm-fqw3
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: MAL-2023-462
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-4q6p-r6v2-jvc5
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-957j-59c2-j692
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-ww39-953v-wcq6
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-m5pj-vjjf-4m3h
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-j383-35pm-c5h4
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-rm36-94g8-835r
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-43f8-2h32-f4cj
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-qqgx-2p2h-9c37
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-7r28-3m3f-r2pr
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-r8j5-h5cx-65gg
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-2pr6-76vf-7546
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-8j8c-7jfh-h6hx
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-896r-f27r-55mw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-9c47-m6qq-7p4h
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-6c8f-qphg-qjgp
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-76p3-8jx3-jpfq
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-3rfm-jhwj-7488
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-hhq3-ff78-jv3g
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-jf85-cpcp-j695
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-p6mc-m468-83gw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-29mw-wpgm-hmr9
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-35jh-r3h4-6jhm
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-952p-6rrq-rcjv
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-wrvr-8mpx-r7pp
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-f8q6-p94x-37v3
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-vh95-rmgr-6w4m
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-xvch-5gv4-984h
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-fhjf-83wg-r2j9
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-mwcw-c2x4-8c55
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-rp65-9cf3-cjxr
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-28xh-wpgr-7fm8
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-hj48-42vr-x3v9
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-9wv6-86v2-598j
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-rhx6-c78j-4q9w
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-g6ww-v8xp-vmwg
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-566m-qj78-rww5
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-hwj9-h5mp-3pm3
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-7fh5-64p2-3v2j
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-gqgv-6jq5-jjj9
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-hrpp-h998-j3pp
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-p8p7-x288-28g6
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-c2qf-rxjj-qqgw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-m6fv-jmcg-4jfg
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-h9rv-jmmf-4pgx
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-hxcc-f52p-wc94
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-cm22-4g7w-348p
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-4g88-fppr-53pp
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-4jqc-8m5r-9rpr
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-g4rg-993r-mgx7
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-4rq4-32rv-6wp6
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-64g7-mvw6-v9qj
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-vx3p-948g-6vhq
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-8225-6cvr-8pqp
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-3jfq-g458-7qm9
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-r628-mhmh-qjhw
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-9r2w-394v-53qc
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-5955-9wpr-37jh
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-qq89-hq3f-393p
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-f5x3-32g6-xq36
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-4wf5-vphf-c2xc
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-72xf-g2v4-qvf3
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-7p7h-4mm5-852v
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-6fc8-4gx4-v693
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-3h5v-q93c-6h6q
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-c4w7-xm78-47vh
- Warn: Project is vulnerable to: GHSA-p9pc-299p-vxgp
Score
1.8
/10
Last Scanned on 2025-06-09
The Open Source Security Foundation is a cross-industry collaboration to improve the security of open source software (OSS). The Scorecard provides security health metrics for open source projects.
Learn More