timeflake
Timeflake is a 128-bit, roughly-ordered, URL-safe UUID. Inspired by Twitter's Snowflake, Instagram's ID and Firebase's PushID.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need sortable, collision-resistant IDs for databases or URLs and want zero external dependencies. The library is stable and well-tested, but note that maintenance is dormant (last update 2023-09-01). Not suitable for security-sensitive use (password tokens, API keys); use Python's secrets module for those. Be aware that time-encoded IDs can leak privacy information about when and where content was created.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction; pure Python with no runtime dependencies.
- Dormant maintenance (last commit 2023-09-01, 1078 days ago) but stable and archived repository shows no active development planned.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; attribution required but no copyleft obligations.
last release 2023-09-01 (1078 days) · last repo commit 2023-09-01 · 807 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 190,387 downloads/mo, #9,912 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import timeflake
# Create a random Timeflake
flake = timeflake.random()
print(flake.base62) # '00mx79Rjxvfgr8qat2CeQDs'
print(flake.timestamp) # 1579091935216
# Parse existing flake
flake = timeflake.parse(from_base62='0002HCZffkHWhKPVdXxs0YH')- Whether the 2^80 random bits per millisecond provide sufficient collision avoidance for your specific throughput and scale requirements.
- Current maintenance status and whether dormancy affects production readiness for your use case.
What it is and what it does
Timeflake is a 128-bit unique identifier that combines a 48-bit millisecond timestamp with an 80-bit cryptographically random component, designed to be both sortable and collision-resistant. Unlike UUID v1 (which leaks network info) or UUID v4 (which is random and fragments database indices), Timeflake orders by time in its most significant bits, keeping database indices compact and fast while remaining unpredictable within each millisecond.
The package provides multiple encodings—128-bit unsigned int, hex, URL-safe base62 (22 chars), and raw bytes—and is fully compatible with Python's standard uuid.UUID type. It includes optional extensions for Django ORM and Peewee, making it practical for use as a primary key in relational databases. No external dependencies are required.
Use it for
- Use as a primary key in MySQL, Postgres, or SQLite3 to maintain insertion order and avoid index fragmentation.
- Generate unpredictable but sortable IDs for URLs and APIs where auto-increment integers are too predictable.
- Create distributed IDs across multiple machines without coordination or a centralized ID service.
- Replace UUID v4 in applications where both randomness and temporal ordering improve query performance.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need sortable, collision-resistant IDs for databases or URLs and want zero external dependencies.
The library is stable and well-tested, but note that maintenance is dormant (last update 2023-09-01). Not suitable for security-sensitive use (password tokens, API keys); use Python's secrets module for those. Be aware that time-encoded IDs can leak privacy information about when and where content was created.
Install
timeflake on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction; pure Python with no runtime dependencies. Dormant maintenance (last commit 2023-09-01, 1078 days ago) but stable and archived repository shows no active development planned.
License in practice
MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; attribution required but no copyleft obligations.
Quickstart
import timeflake
# Create a random Timeflake
flake = timeflake.random()
print(flake.base62) # '00mx79Rjxvfgr8qat2CeQDs'
print(flake.timestamp) # 1579091935216
# Parse existing flake
flake = timeflake.parse(from_base62='0002HCZffkHWhKPVdXxs0YH')Verify before relying
- Whether the 2^80 random bits per millisecond provide sufficient collision avoidance for your specific throughput and scale requirements.
- Current maintenance status and whether dormancy affects production readiness for your use case.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Dormant 1,078 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 190,387 / month, #9,912 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.7Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: timeflake-0.4.3-py3-none-any.whl
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See also ksuid · ulid-py · python-ulid · uuid-extension · ulid · uuid7 · pksuid · svix-ksuid · shortuuid · nanoid