GEN_RANDOM_UUID

Generates a random UUID based on version 7, starting from version 1.2.658. Previously, this function generated UUIDs based on version 4.

Syntax

GEN_RANDOM_UUID()

Aliases

• UUID

Why Use UUID v7?

• Time-Based Ordering: UUID v7 includes a timestamp, allowing events or records to be ordered chronologically by the time they were created. This is especially useful when you need to track the sequence of actions.

• Chronological Sorting: UUID v7 ensures that UUIDs are sorted by creation time, which is ideal for scenarios where sorting events by time is necessary, such as event logging or maintaining audit trails.

Version Information

• Version 1.2.658 and later: UUID version upgraded from v4 to v7.
• Version prior to 1.2.658: UUID generation was based on v4.

Examples

In an application where events are logged, maintaining the correct sequence of actions is essential. UUID v7 ensures that each event is time-ordered, making it easy to track actions chronologically.

-- Log a user logging in
SELECT GEN_RANDOM_UUID(), 'User logged in' AS event, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP AS event_time;

-- Log a user making a purchase
SELECT GEN_RANDOM_UUID(), 'User made a purchase' AS event, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP AS event_time;

The results from these queries might look like this:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           gen_random_uuid()          │         event        │         event_time         │
├──────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ 019329e6-26a2-7b01-b9f5-1c3c02600578 │ User logged in       │ 2024-11-14 08:59:29.313906 │
│ 019329e6-329e-73c3-b0a8-a413ce298607 │ User made a purchase │ 2024-11-14 08:59:32.381497 │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Notice that the gen_random_uuid() values are generated in the order that the events occurred, making it easy to maintain chronological order.