id-forge

Table of Contents

• inanepain/id-forge
• Install
• 1. Quickstart
• 2. Modules
• 3. Encoders
  • 3.1. Contracts and base classes
  • 3.2. Implementations
  • 3.3. Configuration
  • 3.4. Exceptions
  • 3.5. See also
• 4. Generators
  • 4.1. Contract and base class
  • 4.2. Implementations
  • 4.3. See also
• 5. Configuration
  • 5.1. EncoderConfig
  • 5.2. SnowflakeConfig
  • 5.3. See also
• 6. Factories
  • 6.1. EncoderFactory
  • 6.2. IdGeneratorFactory
  • 6.3. See also
• 7. Example
• 8. Error handling
• 9. When to use which generator

inanepain/id-forge

A lightweight, versatile PHP library for generating and encoding unique identifiers. It supports base32, base58, base64, nanoid, snowflakeid, uuid, and ulid, providing fast, secure, and flexible solutions for ID generation and encoding in modern applications.

• Reversible encoders (Base32, Base58, Base64) via a common EncoderInterface

• Several ID generators (UUIDv4, ULID, Nanoid, Snowflake-like IDs) via a common IdGeneratorInterface

• Simple configuration of objects and factory helpers

Tip	All examples target PHP 8.2+ (the codebase is PHP 8.4-ready). Namespaces are rooted under Inane\IdForge.

Install

$ composer require inanepain/id-forge

1. Quickstart

Generate a few IDs

use Inane\IdForge\IdGeneratorFactory;
use Inane\IdForge\EncoderFactory;

$uuid    = IdGeneratorFactory::createUUID()->generate();
$ulid    = IdGeneratorFactory::createULID()->generate();
$nanoid  = IdGeneratorFactory::createNanoid()->generate();
$snow    = IdGeneratorFactory::createSnowflake(1, 2)->generate();

$base58  = EncoderFactory::createBase58();
$encoded = $base58->encode($ulid);
$decoded = $base58->decode($encoded);

2. Modules

3. Encoders

This module provides reversible string encoders that share a simple contract, EncoderInterface. Implementations cover Base32, Base58, and Base64 (including a URL-safe variant).

3.1. Contracts and base classes

3.1.1. Inane\IdForge\Interface\EncoderInterface

Contract for reversible string encoders:

• encode(string $data): string — converts binary-safe input to an encoded string

• decode(string $data): string — converts an encoded string back to the original binary data

Implementations must be deterministic and satisfy decode(encode($x)) === $x for valid input. Invalid input should raise Inane\Stdlib\Exception\InvalidArgumentException (or a domain-specific exception).

3.1.2. Inane\IdForge\Encoder\AbstractEncoder

A small base class that stores an EncoderConfig and exposes helpers:

• getAlphabet(): string

• getAlphabetLength(): int

Concrete encoders (Base32/58/64) extend this class.

3.2. Implementations

3.2.1. Base32

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Encoder\Base32Encoder

• Alphabet: configurable (RFC 4648 by default when using EncoderFactory::createBase32())

• Padding: not applied; trailing zero bits are used to complete the last 5-bit group

• Errors: throws InvalidArgumentException if a character is not in the alphabet during decode()

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\EncoderFactory;

$base32 = EncoderFactory::createBase32();
$enc = $base32->encode("\x00\xFFHello");
$bin = $base32->decode($enc);

3.2.2. Base58

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Encoder\Base58Encoder

• Alphabet: configurable (Bitcoin alphabet via EncoderFactory::createBase58())

• Preserves leading zero bytes as leading first-alphabet characters

• Errors: throws InvalidArgumentException for unknown characters during decode()

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\EncoderFactory;

$base58 = EncoderFactory::createBase58();
$enc = $base58->encode("\0\0payload");
$bin = $base58->decode($enc);

3.2.3. Base64

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Encoder\Base64Encoder

• Standard Base64 via encode()/decode()

• URL-safe helpers: urlEncode() replaces +// with -/_ and strips padding; urlDecode() restores and decodes

• Errors: decode() and urlDecode() throw InvalidArgumentException for invalid Base64 input

Usage (URL-safe)

use Inane\IdForge\EncoderFactory;

$base64 = EncoderFactory::createBase64();
$token  = $base64->urlEncode(random_bytes(16));
$bytes  = $base64->urlDecode($token);

3.3. Configuration

Encoders accept Inane\IdForge\Config\EncoderConfig which holds:

• alphabet: string

• alphabetLength: int (precomputed)

Use EncoderFactory for sensible defaults or construct encoders manually with a custom alphabet.

3.4. Exceptions

• Inane\Stdlib\Exception\InvalidArgumentException — invalid input during decode()

3.5. See also

• Configuration

• Factories

4. Generators

IdForge includes several generators that implement a common contract, IdGeneratorInterface. Each generator focuses on a different trade-off: interoperability (UUID), sortability (ULID, Snowflake), or brevity and URL-friendliness (Nanoid).

4.1. Contract and base class

4.1.1. Inane\IdForge\Interface\IdGeneratorInterface

• generate(): string — create a new identifier as a string

Implementations should be fast, low-collision, and safe to use concurrently.

4.1.2. Inane\IdForge\Generator\AbstractIdGenerator

Provides helpers shared by all generators:

• getRandomBytes(int $length): string — cryptographically secure random bytes (can throw Random\RandomException)

• getTimestamp(): int — current UNIX timestamp in milliseconds

4.2. Implementations

4.2.1. UUIDv4

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Generator\UUIDGenerator

• RFC 4122 UUID version 4

• Format: canonical 36-char string 8-4-4-4-12

• Helpers:

• isValid(string $uuid): bool

• toBase64(string $uuid, Base64Encoder $base64): string — URL-safe Base64 (no padding)

• fromBase64(string $b64, Base64Encoder $base64): string — back to canonical string

• Errors: toBase64() throws InvalidArgumentException for invalid input

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\IdGeneratorFactory;
use Inane\IdForge\EncoderFactory;

$uuid = IdGeneratorFactory::createUUID()->generate();
$base64 = EncoderFactory::createBase64();
$b64 = IdGeneratorFactory::createUUID()->toBase64($uuid, $base64);
$uuid2 = IdGeneratorFactory::createUUID()->fromBase64($b64, $base64);

4.2.2. ULID

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Generator\ULIDGenerator

• 26-char Crockford Base32, lexicographically sortable

• Structure: 48-bit timestamp + 80 bits randomness

• Monotonic mode ensures strict ordering within the same millisecond

• Key methods:

• __construct(?EncoderConfig $config = null, bool $monotonic = false)

• generate(?int $timestamp = null): string

• decodeTimestamp(string $ulid): int

• decode(string $ulid): array{timestamp:int, random:string}

• toEncoded(EncoderInterface $encoder): string

• Errors: InvalidArgumentException for bad characters/length; Random\RandomException for entropy issues

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\IdGeneratorFactory;

$ulid = IdGeneratorFactory::createULID()->generate();

Monotonic ULID

use Inane\IdForge\Generator\ULIDGenerator;
use Inane\IdForge\Config\EncoderConfig;

$mono = new ULIDGenerator(new EncoderConfig('0123456789ABCDEFGHJKMNPQRSTVWXYZ'), true);
$a = $mono->generate();
$b = $mono->generate(); // guaranteed $a < $b when in same ms

4.2.3. Nanoid

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Generator\NanoidGenerator

• Short, URL-friendly random IDs

• Constructor: __construct(string $alphabet = '0-9a-zA-Z', int $size = 21)

• generate(): string

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\IdGeneratorFactory;

$id = IdGeneratorFactory::createNanoid()->generate();

4.2.4. Snowflake-like

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Generator\SnowflakeIdGenerator

• 64-bit composed numeric ID (as a string): timestamp + datacenter + worker + sequence

• Configured via SnowflakeConfig (epoch, bit allocations for worker/datacenter/sequence)

• Methods:

• __construct(int $workerId = 0, int $datacenterId = 0, ?SnowflakeConfig $config = null)

• generate(): string

• toEncoded(EncoderInterface $encoder): string

• Behavior: on sequence overflow within the same millisecond, waits for the next millisecond

• Errors: RuntimeException if the clock moves backwards; InvalidArgumentException for out-of-range worker/datacenter

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\IdGeneratorFactory;

$gen = IdGeneratorFactory::createSnowflake(workerId: 1, datacenterId: 2);
$id  = $gen->generate();

4.3. See also

• Configuration

• Factories

• Encoders

5. Configuration

This module documents the small configuration objects that accompany encoders and generators.

5.1. EncoderConfig

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Config\EncoderConfig

Holds the alphabet used by encoders and caches its length.

Fields

• alphabet: string — characters used by the encoding

• alphabetLength: int — cached length of the alphabet

API

• __construct(string $alphabet) — set the alphabet and precompute its length

• getAlphabet(): string

• getAlphabetLength(): int

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\Config\EncoderConfig;
use Inane\IdForge\Encoder\Base32Encoder;

$config  = new EncoderConfig('ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ234567');
$encoder = new Base32Encoder($config);

5.2. SnowflakeConfig

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\Config\SnowflakeConfig

Controls the epoch and bit allocations for Snowflake-like IDs.

Fields

• epoch: int — custom epoch in milliseconds (default: 1609459200000, 2021-01-01)

• workerIdBits: int — bits for worker/node id (default: 5)

• datacenterIdBits: int — bits for datacenter id (default: 5)

• sequenceBits: int — bits for per-millisecond sequence (default: 12)

API

• __construct(int $epoch = 1609459200000, int $workerIdBits = 5, int $datacenterIdBits = 5, int $sequenceBits = 12)

• Getters:

• getEpoch(): int

• getWorkerIdBits(): int

• getDatacenterIdBits(): int

• getSequenceBits(): int

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\Generator\SnowflakeIdGenerator;
use Inane\IdForge\Config\SnowflakeConfig;

$config = new SnowflakeConfig(epoch: 1700000000000, workerIdBits: 6, datacenterIdBits: 4, sequenceBits: 12);
$gen    = new SnowflakeIdGenerator(workerId: 3, datacenterId: 1, config: $config);
$id     = $gen->generate();

5.3. See also

• Encoders

• Generators

• Factories

6. Factories

Factory helpers provide convenient, opinionated constructors for common encoders and generators.

6.1. EncoderFactory

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\EncoderFactory

Creates encoder instances with sensible default alphabets.

API

• createBase32(): Base32Encoder — RFC 4648 alphabet A-Z2-7

• createBase58(): Base58Encoder — Bitcoin alphabet (no 0, O, I, l)

• createBase64(): Base64Encoder — Standard Base64 alphabet

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\EncoderFactory;

$base32 = EncoderFactory::createBase32();
$base58 = EncoderFactory::createBase58();
$base64 = EncoderFactory::createBase64();

6.2. IdGeneratorFactory

Namespace: Inane\IdForge\IdGeneratorFactory

Creates generator instances with defaults and safe validation where applicable.

API

• createNanoid(string $alphabet = '0-9a-zA-Z', int $size = 21): NanoidGenerator

• createSnowflake(int $workerId = 0, int $datacenterId = 0, ?SnowflakeConfig $config = null): SnowflakeIdGenerator

• createUUID(): UUIDGenerator

• createULID(?EncoderConfig $config = null): ULIDGenerator

Usage

use Inane\IdForge\IdGeneratorFactory;

$uuid   = IdGeneratorFactory::createUUID()->generate();
$ulid   = IdGeneratorFactory::createULID()->generate();
$nanoid = IdGeneratorFactory::createNanoid()->generate();
$snow   = IdGeneratorFactory::createSnowflake(workerId: 1, datacenterId: 2)->generate();

6.3. See also

• Encoders

• Generators

• Configuration

7. Example

Some examples

use Inane\IdForge\Config\EncoderConfig;
use Inane\IdForge\Config\SnowflakeConfig;
use Inane\IdForge\Encoder\AbstractEncoder;
use Inane\IdForge\EncoderFactory;
use Inane\IdForge\Generator\AbstractIdGenerator;
use Inane\IdForge\IdGeneratorFactory;

// Example usage
try {
	// Create encoders via factory
	$base32 = EncoderFactory::createBase32();
	$base58 = EncoderFactory::createBase58();
	$base64 = EncoderFactory::createBase64();

	// Create ID generators via factory
	$nanoid = IdGeneratorFactory::createNanoid();
	$snowflake = IdGeneratorFactory::createSnowflake(1, 1);
	$uuid = IdGeneratorFactory::createUUID();
	$ulid = IdGeneratorFactory::createULID();

	// Base32
	$base32Encoded = $base32->encode('Hello');
	echo "Base32 Encoded: $base32Encoded\n";
	echo 'Base32 Decoded: ' . $base32->decode($base32Encoded) . "\n";
	echo PHP_EOL;

	// Base58
	$base58Encoded = $base58->encode('Hello');
	echo "Base58 Encoded: $base58Encoded\n";
	echo 'Base58 Decoded: ' . $base58->decode($base58Encoded) . "\n";
	echo PHP_EOL;

	// Base64
	$base64Encoded = $base64->urlEncode('Hello');
	echo "Base64 URL Encoded: $base64Encoded\n";
	echo 'Base64 URL Decoded: ' . $base64->urlDecode($base64Encoded) . "\n";
	echo PHP_EOL;

	// Nanoid
	echo 'Nanoid: ' . $nanoid->generate() . "\n";
	echo PHP_EOL;

	// Snowflake ID
	$snowflakeId = $snowflake->generate();
	echo "Snowflake ID: $snowflakeId\n";
	echo 'Snowflake ID (Base58): ' . $snowflake->toEncoded($base58) . "\n";
	echo PHP_EOL;

	// UUID
	$uuidValue = $uuid->generate();
	echo "UUID: $uuidValue\n";
	$uuidBase64 = $uuid->toBase64($uuidValue, $base64);
	echo "UUID Base64: $uuidBase64\n";
	echo 'UUID from Base64: ' . $uuid->fromBase64($uuidBase64, $base64) . "\n";
	echo PHP_EOL;

	// ULID
	$ulidValue = $ulid->generate();
	echo "ULID: $ulidValue\n";
	echo 'ULID Timestamp: ' . $ulid->decodeTimestamp($ulidValue) . "\n";
	echo 'ULID Base32: ' . $ulid->toEncoded($base32) . "\n";
	echo PHP_EOL;

	// ULID
	$ulidValue = $ulid->generate(1761168799791);
	echo "ULID 2: $ulidValue\n";
	echo 'ULID 2 Timestamp: ' . $ulid->decodeTimestamp($ulidValue) . "\n";
	echo 'ULID 2 Base32: ' . $ulid->toEncoded($base32) . "\n";
} catch (Exception $e) {
	echo 'Error: ' . $e->getMessage() . "\n";
}

// Add a New Encoder:
class Base16Encoder extends AbstractEncoder {
	public function __construct() {
		parent::__construct(new EncoderConfig('0123456789ABCDEF'));
	}

	public function encode(string $data): string {
		return strtoupper(bin2hex($data));
	}

	public function decode(string $data): string {
		return hex2bin($data);
	}
}

class Encoder2Factory {
	public static function createBase16(): Base16Encoder {
		return new Base16Encoder();
	}
}

$base16 = Encoder2Factory::createBase16()->encode('Hello');
$text = Encoder2Factory::createBase16()->decode($base16);
$line("Base16:encoded: $base16");
$line("Base16:decoded: $text");
// EncoderFactory::createBase16 = fn() => new Base16Encoder();


// Add a New ID Generator:
class CustomIdGenerator extends AbstractIdGenerator {
	public function generate(): string {
		$timestamp = $this->getTimestamp();
		$random = $this->getRandomBytes(8);
		return bin2hex($timestamp . $random);
	}
}

class IdGenerator2Factory {
	public static function createCustomId(): CustomIdGenerator {
		return new CustomIdGenerator();
	}
}

$customId = IdGenerator2Factory::createCustomId()->generate();
$line("CustomID: $customId");

// IdGeneratorFactory::createCustomId = fn() => new CustomIdGenerator();

// Customize Snowflake Configuration:
$customConfig = new SnowflakeConfig(1640995200000, 4, 4, 10); // Custom epoch, fewer bits
$snowflake = IdGeneratorFactory::createSnowflake(1, 1, $customConfig);

// Custom Alphabet for Nanoid:
$nanoid = IdGeneratorFactory::createNanoid('0123456789abcdef', 12); // Hex-only, shorter length

8. Error handling

• Most decoders will throw Inane\Stdlib\Exception\InvalidArgumentException when the input contains invalid characters or cannot be parsed.

• SnowflakeIdGenerator::generate() can throw Inane\Stdlib\Exception\RuntimeException if it detects a system clock moving backwards.

• Generators that rely on randomness may throw Random\RandomException from PHP core when entropy is not available.

9. When to use which generator

• UUIDv4: Standard interoperable identifiers, not sortable, 36 chars.

• ULID: 26-char, lexicographically sortable, timestamp + randomness; good for DB keys and logs.

• Nanoid: Short, URL-friendly IDs with controllable alphabet and size.

• Snowflake: Numeric IDs composed of timestamp + worker/datacenter + sequence; good for distributed systems that need k-sortable numbers.