simpleflakes

Fast, lightweight, and reliable distributed 64-bit ID generation for Node.js Zero dependencies • TypeScript-ready • 8.8M+ ops/sec performance

Features

• ⚡ 8.8M+ ops/sec - Ultra-fast performance
• 🔢 Time-oriented 64-bit IDs - Globally unique, sortable by creation time
• 0️⃣ Zero dependencies - Pure JavaScript, lightweight bundle
• 🏷️ TypeScript-ready - Full type safety and universal module support
• 🚀 Production-ready - 100% test coverage, Snowflake compatible

Table of Contents

• What is Simpleflake?
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Advanced Usage
• ID Structure
• Performance
• Architecture
• Use Cases
• API Reference
• Migration Guide
• Comparison
• Contributing

What is Simpleflake?

Simpleflake generates unique 64-bit integers that are:

1. Time-ordered - IDs generated later are numerically larger
2. Distributed-safe - No coordination needed between multiple generators
3. Compact - Fits in a 64-bit integer (vs UUID's 128 bits)
4. URL-friendly - Can be represented as short strings

Perfect for database primary keys, distributed system IDs, and anywhere you need fast, unique identifiers.

References

• Original Presentation - Introduction to the concept by Mali Akmanalp
• Video Discussion - Detailed explanation and use cases
• Python Implementation - Original reference implementation
• Twitter Snowflake - Similar distributed ID system

Installation

npm install simpleflakes

Quick Start

JavaScript (CommonJS)

const { simpleflake } = require('simpleflakes');

// Generate a unique ID
const id = simpleflake();
console.log(id); // 4234673179811182512n (BigInt)

// Convert to different formats
console.log(id.toString());    // "4234673179811182512"
console.log(id.toString(16));  // "3ac494d21e84f7b0" (hex)
console.log(id.toString(36));  // "w68acyhy50hc" (base36 - shortest)

TypeScript / ES Modules

import { simpleflake, parseSimpleflake, type SimpleflakeStruct } from 'simpleflakes';

// Generate with full type safety
const id: bigint = simpleflake();

// Parse the ID to extract timestamp and random bits
const parsed: SimpleflakeStruct = parseSimpleflake(id);
console.log(parsed.timestamp);   // "1693244847123" (Unix timestamp as string)
console.log(parsed.randomBits);  // "4567234" (Random component as string)

Advanced Usage

Custom Parameters

// Generate with custom timestamp and random bits
const customId = simpleflake(
  Date.now(),           // timestamp (default: Date.now())
  12345,               // random bits (default: 23-bit random)
  Date.UTC(2000, 0, 1) // epoch (default: Year 2000)
);

Working with Binary Data

import { binary, extractBits } from 'simpleflakes';

const id = simpleflake();

// View binary representation
console.log(binary(id));
// Output: "0011101011000100100100110100001000011110100001001111011110110000"

// Extract specific bit ranges
const timestampBits = extractBits(id, 23n, 41n); // Extract 41 bits starting at position 23
const randomBits = extractBits(id, 0n, 23n);     // Extract first 23 bits

Batch Generation

// Generate multiple IDs efficiently
function generateBatch(count) {
  const ids = [];
  for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
    ids.push(simpleflake());
  }
  return ids;
}

const batch = generateBatch(1000);
console.log(`Generated ${batch.length} unique IDs`);

ID Structure

Each 64-bit simpleflake ID contains:

<------- 41 bits ------->	<- 23 bits ->
Timestamp	Random
(milliseconds from epoch)	(0-8388607)

• 41 bits timestamp: Milliseconds since epoch (Year 2000)
• 23 bits random: Random number for uniqueness within the same millisecond
• Total: 64 bits = fits in a signed 64-bit integer

This gives you:

• 69+ years of timestamp range (until year 2069)
• 8.3 million unique IDs per millisecond
• Extremely low collision chance - 1 in 8.3 million per millisecond
• Sortable by creation time when converted to integers

Performance

This library is optimized for speed:

// Benchmark results (operations per second)
simpleflake()       // ~8.8M+ ops/sec
parseSimpleflake()  // ~3.9M+ ops/sec
binary()            // ~26M+ ops/sec

Perfect for high-throughput applications requiring millions of IDs per second.

Architecture

Why 64-bit IDs?

• Database-friendly: Most databases optimize for 64-bit integers
• Memory efficient: Half the size of UUIDs (128-bit)
• Performance: Integer operations are faster than string operations
• Sortable: Natural ordering by creation time
• Compact URLs: Shorter than UUIDs when base36-encoded

Distributed Generation

No coordination required between multiple ID generators:

• Clock skew tolerant: Small time differences between servers are fine
• Random collision protection: 23 random bits provide 8.3M combinations per millisecond
• High availability: Each service can generate IDs independently

Use Cases

Database Primary Keys

// Perfect for database IDs - time-ordered and unique
const userId = simpleflake();
await db.users.create({ id: userId.toString(), name: "John" });

Distributed System IDs

// Each service can generate IDs independently
const serviceAId = simpleflake(); // Service A
const serviceBId = simpleflake(); // Service B
// No coordination needed, guaranteed unique across services

Short URLs

// Generate compact URL identifiers
const shortId = simpleflake().toString(36); // "w68acyhy50hc"
const url = `https://short.ly/${shortId}`;

Event Tracking

// Time-ordered event IDs for chronological processing
const eventId = simpleflake();
await analytics.track({ eventId, userId, action: "click" });

API Reference

Core Functions

simpleflake(timestamp?, randomBits?, epoch?): bigint

Generates a unique 64-bit ID.

Parameters:

• timestamp (number, optional): Unix timestamp in milliseconds. Default: Date.now()
• randomBits (number, optional): Random bits (0-8388607). Default: random 23-bit number
• epoch (number, optional): Epoch start time. Default: Date.UTC(2000, 0, 1)

Returns: BigInt - The generated ID

const id = simpleflake();
const customId = simpleflake(Date.now(), 12345, Date.UTC(2000, 0, 1));

parseSimpleflake(flake): SimpleflakeStruct

Parses a simpleflake ID into its components.

Parameters:

• flake (bigint | string | number): The ID to parse

Returns: Object with timestamp and randomBits properties (both bigint)

const parsed = parseSimpleflake(4234673179811182512n);
console.log(parsed.timestamp);  // "1693244847123"
console.log(parsed.randomBits); // "4567234"

binary(value, padding?): string

Converts a number to binary string representation.

Parameters:

• value (bigint | string | number): Value to convert
• padding (boolean, optional): Whether to pad to 64 bits. Default: true

Returns: String - Binary representation

console.log(binary(42n)); // "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000101010"
console.log(binary(42n, false)); // "101010"

extractBits(data, shift, length): bigint

Extracts a portion of bits from a number.

Parameters:

• data (bigint | string | number): Source data
• shift (bigint): Starting bit position (0-based from right)
• length (bigint): Number of bits to extract

Returns: BigInt - Extracted bits as number

const bits = extractBits(0b11110000n, 4n, 4n); // Extract 4 bits starting at position 4
console.log(bits); // 15n (0b1111)

Constants

SIMPLEFLAKE_EPOCH: number

The epoch start time (January 1, 2000 UTC) as Unix timestamp.

import { SIMPLEFLAKE_EPOCH } from 'simpleflakes';
console.log(SIMPLEFLAKE_EPOCH); // 946684800000

TypeScript Types

interface SimpleflakeStruct {
  timestamp: bigint;   // Unix timestamp as bigint (since 2000)
  randomBits: bigint;  // Random component as bigint
}

Migration Guide

From UUID

// Before (UUID v4)
import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';
const id = uuidv4(); // "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479"

// After (Simpleflake)
import { simpleflake } from 'simpleflakes';
const id = simpleflake().toString(36); // "w68acyhy50hc" (shorter!)

From Twitter Snowflake

// Simpleflake is backwards compatible with Snowflake structure
// Just different bit allocation:
// - Snowflake: 41 bits timestamp + 10 bits machine + 12 bits sequence
// - Simpleflake: 41 bits timestamp + 23 bits random
//
// *double-check epoch

Comparison

Core Characteristics

Library	Size	Time-ordered	Performance
Simpleflake	64-bit	✅ Yes	⚡ 8.8M/sec
UUID v4	128-bit	❌ No	🔸 ~2M/sec
UUID v7	128-bit	✅ Yes	🔸 ~2M/sec
Nanoid	Variable	❌ No	⚡ ~5M/sec
KSUID	160-bit	✅ Yes	🔸 ~1M/sec
Twitter Snowflake	64-bit	✅ Yes	⚡ ~10M/sec

Technical Features

Library	Dependencies	Database-friendly	URL-friendly	Distributed
Simpleflake	✅ Zero	✅ Integer	✅ Base36	✅ Yes
UUID v4	❌ crypto	❌ String	❌ Long hex	✅ Yes
UUID v7	❌ crypto	❌ String	❌ Long hex	✅ Yes
Nanoid	✅ Zero	❌ String	✅ Custom	✅ Yes
KSUID	❌ crypto	❌ String	✅ Base62	✅ Yes
Twitter Snowflake	❌ System clock	✅ Integer	✅ Base36	⚠️ Needs config

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

MIT

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Credits

• Original concept by Mali Akmanalp
• TypeScript port and optimizations by Leo Dutra
• Inspired by Twitter Snowflake