hashFactory

🆔 A versatile and lightweight utility for generating configurable hash strings, optimized for creating memorable IDs, URL-friendly slugs, and unique identifiers.

Features

• Lightning Fast: Uses the optimized djb2 hashing algorithm for excellent performance
• Flexible Output Formats: Generate hex hashes, alphanumeric strings, or word-based identifiers
• Configurable: Control output length, word count, delimiters, and more
• Zero Dependencies: Works in Node.js and browsers with no external dependencies
• URL-Friendly: Perfect for creating slugs, short IDs, and readable identifiers
• Timestamp Support: Generate date-ordered IDs with built-in timestamps

Installation

npm install hash-factory

Quick Start

const hashFactory = require('hash-factory');

// Create default hash function
const hash = hashFactory();
hash('Hello World');
// Outputs "1661258373"

// Create alphanumeric hash
const alphaHash = hashFactory({ alpha: true });
alphaHash('Hello World');
// Outputs "rh2j5x"

// Create word-based identifiers
const wordHash = hashFactory({ words: true });
wordHash('Hello World');
// Outputs "hello_world_1661258373"

// Create word-based identifiers with alphanumeric hash
const wordAlphaHash = hashFactory({ words: true, alpha: true });
wordAlphaHash('Hello World');
// Outputs "hello_world_rh2j5x"

const wordOnly = hashFactory({ hash: false });
wordOnly('Hello World');
// Outputs "hello_world"

// You can combine it with other options
const customWordOnly = hashFactory({
    hash: false,
    delimiter: '-',
    wlen: 4
});
customWordOnly('Hello Beautiful World');
// Outputs "hell-beau-worl"

// Create timestamp-prefixed identifiers for date ordering
const timestampedHash = hashFactory({ now: true });
timestampedHash('User Document');
// Outputs "1698765432123_1661258373" (timestamp_hash)

API Reference

hashFactory(options)

Returns a hash function configured with the specified options.

Options

| Option | Type | Default | Description | |--------|------|---------|-------------| | now | Boolean | false | Add timestamp prefix to create date-ordered IDs | | hash | Boolean | true | Whether to append a hash to the output | | wcount | Number | -1 | Number of words to include (-1 for all words) | | wlen | Number | 6 | Length of each word (-1 for full words) | | maxlen | Number | 36 | Maximum length of the output hash (-1 for unlimited) | | alpha | Boolean | false | Use base36 (alphanumeric) encoding instead of decimal | | words | Boolean | false | Extract words from the input string | | delimiter | String | '_' | Character(s) to join words and hash | | padding | String|null | null | Character used for padding to reach maxlen (null for no padding) |

Use Cases

URL-Friendly Slugs

const urlSlug = hashFactory({
    maxlen: 40,
    words: true,
    alpha: true,
    delimiter: '-',
    wlen: -1
});

const articleUrl = urlSlug('How to Create URL-Friendly Slugs with HashFactory');
// Output: "how-to-create-url-friendly-slugs-1qbtqvl"

Date-Ordered Document IDs

const timeOrderedId = hashFactory({ 
  now: true,
  alpha: true,
  delimiter: '-'
});

timeOrderedId('Monthly Report');
// Output: "m9j8gfx1-ipoqge" (timestamp-hash in base36)

Short File IDs

const fileId = hashFactory({ 
  words: true,
  wlen: 6,
  alpha: true,
  maxlen: 30
});

fileId('Quarterly Financial Report Q3 2023.pdf');
// Output: "quarte_financ_report_q3_t6ghpa"

Memorable Document IDs

const docId = hashFactory({ 
  words: true, 
  wcount: 3,
  wlen: 4, 
  delimiter: '-',
  alpha: true
});

docId('Meeting Minutes: Project Kickoff January 2023');
// Output: "meet-minu-proj-1kh0t3m"

Fixed-Length Database Keys

const dbKey = hashFactory({ 
  alpha: true,
  maxlen: 12,
  padding: 'xyz',
  delimiter: ''
});

dbKey('[email protected]');
// Output: "19u25ojxyzxy"

Algorithm Details

HashFactory uses the djb2 hashing algorithm by default, which offers:

• Speed: Very efficient computation, especially for string inputs
• Distribution: Good distribution properties for minimal collisions
• Simplicity: Lightweight implementation with minimal overhead

The hashing function returns a number between 0 and 4294967295.

The djb2 algorithm was created by Daniel J. Bernstein and is widely used for its excellent performance characteristics in real-world applications.

Examples

Check out the demo directory for more usage examples.

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests.