Introduction

idt (ID Tool) is a fast, ergonomic CLI tool for working with various identifier formats. Whether you need to generate, inspect, convert, or validate IDs, idt provides a unified interface for all your identifier needs.

Key Features

Multi-format Support: Work with UUID (all versions), ULID, NanoID, Snowflake, and more
Generate IDs: Create new identifiers with customizable options
Inspect IDs: Decode and analyze any supported ID format
Convert Formats: Transform IDs between different encodings (hex, base64, base58, etc.)
Validate IDs: Check if strings are valid identifiers
Compare IDs: Analyze relationships between IDs (chronological, binary, lexicographic)
Pipe-friendly: Designed for shell scripting and Unix pipelines
JSON Output: Machine-readable output for integration with other tools

Quick Example

# Generate a UUIDv7 (time-sortable)
$ idt gen uuidv7
019c04e5-6118-7b22-95cb-a10e84dad469

# Inspect the generated ID
$ idt inspect 019c04e5-6118-7b22-95cb-a10e84dad469
UUIDV7
  019c04e5-6118-7b22-95cb-a10e84dad469

  Time (UTC)          2026-01-28T13:57:47.416Z
  Local Time (+09:00) 2026-01-28T22:57:47.416+09:00
  Version             7
  Variant             RFC4122
  Random              62 bits

  Hex                 019c04e561187b2295cba10e84dad469
  Base64              AZwE5WEYeyKVy6EOhNrUaQ==
  Int                 2139325608653621017571381452845274217

# Convert to different formats
$ idt convert 019c04e5-6118-7b22-95cb-a10e84dad469 -f base64
AZwE5WEYeyKVy6EOhNrUaQ==

Why idt?

Working with different ID formats often requires multiple tools or libraries. idt consolidates these into a single, fast CLI tool that:

Auto-detects ID types - No need to specify the format when inspecting or converting
Provides rich metadata - Extract timestamps, version info, and other embedded data
Supports modern formats - UUIDv7, ULID, and other time-sortable IDs
Integrates with your workflow - JSON output, stdin support, and Unix-friendly design

Supported ID Types

Type	Sortable	Timestamp	Bits	Description
UUIDv1	No	Yes	128	Timestamp + MAC address
UUIDv4	No	No	128	Random
UUIDv6	Yes	Yes	128	Reordered timestamp
UUIDv7	Yes	Yes	128	Unix timestamp + random
ULID	Yes	Yes	128	Crockford Base32, lexicographically sortable
NanoID	No	No	~126	Compact URL-friendly ID
Snowflake	Yes	Yes	64	Twitter/Discord-style distributed ID

See the ID Types Overview for complete details on all supported formats.

Getting Started

Ready to start using idt? Head to the Installation guide to get set up, then check out the Quick Start for common usage patterns.