UUID stands for Universally Unique Identifier. It is a 128-bit value used for a unique identification Foundation. UUIDs provide uniqueness as they generate ids based on time, cursor movement, and system hardware (MAC, etc.).
To generate UUID in Golang, you can use the “exec.Command(‘uuidgen’)” or “uuid.New()” method from the UUID package.
Method 1: Using exec.Command() function
The exec.Command() function is used to “execute external commands”. The uuidgen command is a command-line utility that generates Universally Unique Identifiers (UUIDs).
Example
package main
import (
"fmt"
"os/exec"
)
func main() {
// Create a new command.
cmd := exec.Command("uuidgen")
// Get the output of the command.
output, err := cmd.Output()
if err != nil {
// Handle the error.
panic(err)
}
// Print the output.
fmt.Printf("%s", output)
}
Output
1A47EDC8-C3FD-47DC-805E-91CCA2644CD7
The “uuidgen” command is a helpful tool for generating UUIDs. UUIDs are used for various purposes, such as identifying objects in a database or tracking events.
Method 2: Using uuid.New() function
Follow the below steps to install the UUID package in Golang.
- Create a project folder and go inside that folder.
- Open the terminal and initialize a Golang project using this command: go mod init gfg.
- Install the UUID package using this command: go get github.com/google/uuid
That’s it. Now, the package is installed in your project folder.
You can import the package using this code: import(“github.com/google/uuid“).
How to Use UUID Package to Generate UUID
To generate a UUID using the github.com/google/uuid package in Go, you can use the uuid.New() function. The uuid.New() function generates a new UUID of version 4, a randomly generated UUID.
The New() function returns a uuid.UUID value which contains the generated UUID.
package main
import (
"fmt"
"github.com/google/uuid"
)
func main() {
uuid := uuid.New()
fmt.Println("UUID:", uuid)
}
Output
UUID: d8b60078-5638-4840-8637-f9e3f638f5c5
In this code example, we imported the github.com/google/uuid package and called the uuid.New() function to generate a new UUID. The New() function returns a uuid.UUID value which contains the generated UUID.

Krunal Lathiya is a seasoned Computer Science expert with over eight years in the tech industry. He boasts deep knowledge in Data Science and Machine Learning. Versed in Python, JavaScript, PHP, R, and Golang. Skilled in frameworks like Angular and React and platforms such as Node.js. His expertise spans both front-end and back-end development. His proficiency in the Python language stands as a testament to his versatility and commitment to the craft.