libuuid

libuuid is a library that provides functions for generating and manipulating universally unique identifiers, commonly known as UUIDs or GUIDs. These identifiers are 128-bit numbers that are unique across space and time. The primary purpose of libuuid is to generate these unique IDs in a reliable and standard-compliant manner.

The library is part of the util-linux package on many Linux distributions. It offers functions like uuid_generate() to create new UUIDs and uuid_parse() to convert a string representation of a UUID into its binary form. It also includes functions for comparing UUIDs and for generating UUIDs based on different versions, such as version 1 (time-based) and version 4 (randomly generated).

libuuid adheres to the standards defined by the Open Software Foundation (OSF) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Its use is widespread in various software applications and systems where unique identification is crucial, such as in database keys, network protocols, and distributed systems to avoid collisions and ensure unambiguous referencing of resources. The library's small footprint and efficient implementation make it a popular choice for generating UUIDs.