Nano ID generator
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Generates 21-character URL-safe identifiers. A Nano ID has about 126 bits of entropy; slightly more than a v4 UUID. In 21 characters rather than 36.
How to use the nano id generator
The saving comes from the alphabet: 64 URL-safe characters against a UUID’s 16 hexadecimal ones, so each character carries six bits instead of four. That makes it a better fit anywhere the identifier appears in a URL or is read aloud, and the shorter string genuinely matters at scale in URLs and log lines. What it does not have is any structure: no version, no timestamp, no sortability, so it is the wrong choice for a database primary key where insert locality matters, and the right choice for a public-facing share link.
Questions
It uses 64 URL-safe characters rather than 16 hex ones, so each character carries six bits instead of four.
About 126 bits at 21 characters, slightly more than a v4 UUID.
No, it has no timestamp. Use a ULID or UUID v7 if you need chronological ordering.
Yes, the alphabet contains only characters that survive a URL without escaping.
Public share links and anything appearing in a URL. Not a database primary key, where insert locality matters more.