Short Stuff

Typescript port of short_stuff built in python.

ShortStuff is a set of helper functions used for generating short unique identifiers, such as those used in YouTube video IDs or in URL shorteners.

ShortStuff does this by generating random byte strings, running them through base64 encoding and then doing some cleanup for compatibility.

Most distinct about the methodology is that it piggy-backs on UUIDs. That means that if you want to leverage your database or library's native UUID support, you can do so, and helper functions are provided for this.

Installation

Short Stuff has been tested on node 16 and 17.

To install:

npm install shortStuff

Quick Guide

To generate a short code:

import { genShortcode } from 'shortStuff'
console.log(genShortcode())
> 'XtFxMb7qTJ-A'

To turn this code into a UUID (such as for DB storage):

import { unSlugify } from 'shortStuff'
console.log(unSlugify('XtFxMb7qTJ-A'))
> '5ed17131-beea-4c9f-8000-000000000000'

Notice that this is a truncated uuid, with everything beyond the first eight bytes zeroed out.

To turn the UUID back into a slug:

import { slugify } from 'shortStuff'
console.log(slugify('5ed17131-beea-4c9f-8000-000000000000'))
> 'XtFxMb7qTJ-A'