9.14. UUID Functions

UUID Functions

Generation Functions shows the PostgreSQL functions that can be used to generate UUIDs.

Function Description Example(s)
`gen_random_uuid` ( ) uuid `uuidv4` ( ) uuid Generates a version 4 (random) UUID `gen_random_uuid()` 5b30857f-0bfa-48b5-ac0b-5c64e28078d1 `uuidv4()` b42410ee-132f-42ee-9e4f-09a6485c95b8
`uuidv7` ( [`shift` `interval`] ) uuid Generates a version 7 (time-ordered) UUID. The timestamp is computed using UNIX timestamp with millisecond precision + sub-millisecond timestamp + random. The optional parameter `shift` will shift the computed timestamp by the given `interval`. `uuidv7()` 019535d9-3df7-79fb-b466-fa907fa17f9e

Function

Description

Example(s)

gen_random_uuid ( ) uuid

uuidv4 ( ) uuid

Generates a version 4 (random) UUID

gen_random_uuid() 5b30857f-0bfa-48b5-ac0b-5c64e28078d1

uuidv4() b42410ee-132f-42ee-9e4f-09a6485c95b8

uuidv7 ( [shift interval] ) uuid

Generates a version 7 (time-ordered) UUID. The timestamp is computed using UNIX timestamp with millisecond precision + sub-millisecond timestamp + random. The optional parameter shift will shift the computed timestamp by the given interval.

uuidv7() 019535d9-3df7-79fb-b466-fa907fa17f9e

: UUID Generation Functions

The F.49. uuid-ossp — a UUID generator module provides additional functions that implement other standard algorithms for generating UUIDs.

Extraction Functions shows the PostgreSQL functions that can be used to extract information from UUIDs.

Function Description Example(s)
`uuid_extract_timestamp` ( `uuid` ) timestamp with time zone Extracts a `timestamp with time zone` from a UUID of version 1 or 7. For other versions, this function returns null. Note that the extracted timestamp is not necessarily exactly equal to the time the UUID was generated; this depends on the implementation that generated the UUID. `uuid_extract_timestamp('019535d9-3df7-79fb-b466-fa907fa17f9e'::uuid)` 2025-02-23 21:46:24.503-05
`uuid_extract_version` ( `uuid` ) smallint Extracts the version from a UUID of one of the variants described by RFC 9562. For other variants, this function returns null. For example, for a UUID generated by `gen_random_uuid()`, this function will return 4. `uuid_extract_version('41db1265-8bc1-4ab3-992f-885799a4af1d'::uuid)` 4 `uuid_extract_version('019535d9-3df7-79fb-b466-fa907fa17f9e'::uuid)` 7

Function

Description

Example(s)

uuid_extract_timestamp ( uuid ) timestamp with time zone

Extracts a timestamp with time zone from a UUID of version 1 or 7. For other versions, this function returns null. Note that the extracted timestamp is not necessarily exactly equal to the time the UUID was generated; this depends on the implementation that generated the UUID.

uuid_extract_timestamp('019535d9-3df7-79fb-b466-fa907fa17f9e'::uuid) 2025-02-23 21:46:24.503-05

uuid_extract_version ( uuid ) smallint

Extracts the version from a UUID of one of the variants described by RFC 9562. For other variants, this function returns null. For example, for a UUID generated by gen_random_uuid(), this function will return 4.

uuid_extract_version('41db1265-8bc1-4ab3-992f-885799a4af1d'::uuid) 4

uuid_extract_version('019535d9-3df7-79fb-b466-fa907fa17f9e'::uuid) 7

: UUID Extraction Functions

PostgreSQL also provides the usual comparison operators shown in Comparison Operators for UUIDs.

See UUID Type for details on the data type uuid in PostgreSQL.