Sqid

Sqids (pronounced “squids”) generate short, unique, URL-safe identifiers by encoding numeric values.

What is Sqid?

Sqids generate short, unique, URL-safe identifiers:

• Short: Configurable minimum length (default: 8 characters)
• URL-safe: Uses alphanumeric characters only
• Customizable: Configurable alphabet and minimum length
• Deterministic: Same numbers always produce same Sqid
• Human-friendly: Short and readable compared to UUIDs

Example Sqid: 4d9fND1xQ

Configuring Sqid Generator

Enable Sqid generation in your application:

use Cline\StronglyTypedId\Enums\GeneratorType;
use Cline\StronglyTypedId\Facades\IdGenerator;

IdGenerator::setGenerator(GeneratorType::Sqid);

Now all ID generation will use Sqids:

$userId = UserId::generate();
// e.g., "4d9fND1xQ"

Custom Configuration

Minimum Length

use Cline\StronglyTypedId\Generators\SqidGenerator;

$generator = new SqidGenerator(minLength: 16);
$id = $generator->generate();
// e.g., "4d9fND1xQ8bWePmY"

Custom Alphabet

$generator = new SqidGenerator(
    alphabet: 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789',
    minLength: 8
);
$id = $generator->generate();
// e.g., "X4M9FND1"

Comparison

Type	Length	Example
Sqid	8+ chars	4d9fND1xQ
ULID	26 chars	01ARZ3NDEKTSV4RRFFQ69G5FAV
UUID	36 chars	550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000

Advantages:

• 42-78% shorter than UUID/ULID
• URL-safe without encoding
• Configurable for specific needs

Limitations:

• No embedded timestamp (not sortable)
• Higher collision probability at short lengths

Database Storage

Store Sqids as VARCHAR with appropriate length:

Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->string('id', 16)->primary();
});

Use Cases

Choose Sqid when:

• URL shorteners
• Public-facing IDs (cleaner URLs)
• QR codes (shorter = simpler)
• Mobile applications (bandwidth savings)
• Invoice/order numbers

Choose UUID/ULID when:

• Time-ordered IDs needed
• Maximum collision resistance required
• Database UUID types preferred