What is Sqids?
Sqids (pronounced "squids") is an open-source library that lets you generate short unique identifiers from numbers. These IDs are URL-safe, can encode several numbers, and do not contain common profanity words. Read more .
This is what they look like:
https://example.com/Lqj8a0
Quick encode & decode example:
Sqids = sqids:new(),
Id = sqids:encode([1, 2, 3], Sqids). % "86Rf07"
Numbers = sqids:decode(Id, Sqids). % [1,2,3]If IDs are too short, you can pad them to a certain length:
Sqids = new(#{ min_length=>10 }),
Id = sqids:encode([1, 2, 3], Sqids). % "86Rf07xd4z"
Numbers = sqids:decode(Id, Sqids). % [1,2,3]Create unique IDs by shuffling the alphabet:
Sqids = new(#{ alphabet=><<"k3G7QAe51FCsPW92uEOyq4Bg6Sp8YzVTmnU0liwDdHXLajZrfxNhobJIRcMvKt">> }),
Id = sqids:encode([1, 2, 3], Sqids). % "XRKUdQ"
Numbers = sqids:decode(Id, Sqids). % [1,2,3]Full documentation is at https://github.com/sqids/sqids-erlang
If you're looking for the original Hashids Erlang, you can find it here: https://github.com/snaiper80/hashids-erlang
Use Cases
The main use of Sqids is purely visual. If you'd like to use IDs instead of numbers in your project, Sqids could be a good choice.
Good For
- Encoding primary keys If you're using a relational database
- Saving database lookups By encoding multiple objects
- Temporary login tokens Profanity-free and URL-safe
Not Good For
- Sensitive data This is not an encryption library
- User IDs Can reveal user count if anyone finds out the encoding alphabet
Features
- 🆔 Generate short IDs from non-negative numbers
- ✅ Easy encoding & decoding
- 🫣 Auto-generated IDs do not contain common profanity
- 🎲 Support for custom IDs through shuffled alphabet
- 🥳 45 integrations (84% using new design)
- 📌 Every version produces the same IDs
- 🍻 Small library with a permissive license