---
name: "OSSP::uuid"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libossp-uuid-perl"
version: "1.6.2-1.5+b11"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/OSSP::uuid/3pm"
---

# OSSP::uuid(3pm)

OSSP uuid Perl Binding

## NAME

OSSP::uuid - OSSP uuid Perl Binding

## DESCRIPTION

**OSSP uuid** is a ISO-C:1999 application programming interface (API) and corresponding command line interface (CLI) for the generation of DCE 1.1, ISO/IEC 11578:1996 and RFC 4122 compliant *Universally Unique* *Identifier* (UUID). It supports DCE 1.1 variant UUIDs of version 1 (time and node based), version 3 (name based, MD5), version 4 (random number based) and version 5 (name based, SHA-1). Additional API bindings are provided for the languages ISO-C++:1998, Perl:5 and PHP:4/5. Optional backward compatibility exists for the ISO-C DCE-1.1 and Perl Data::UUID APIs.

**OSSP::uuid** is the Perl binding to the **OSSP uuid** API. Three variants are provided:

### TIE-STYLE API

The TIE-style API is a functionality-reduced wrapper around the OO-style API and intended for very high-level convenience programming:

- "use OSSP::uuid;"

  - **tie**" my $uuid, 'OSSP::uuid::tie', $mode, ...;"

  - "$uuid = \[ $mode, ... \];"

  - "print "UUID=$uuid\\n";"

  - "untie $uuid;"

  ### OO-STYLE API

The OO-style API is a wrapper around the C-style API and intended for high-level regular programming.

- "use OSSP::uuid;"

  - "my $uuid = "**new**" OSSP::uuid;"

  - "$uuid-\>"**load**"($name);"

  - "$uuid-\>"**make**"($mode, ...);"

  - "$result = $uuid-\>"**isnil**"();"

  - "$result = $uuid-\>"**compare**"($uuid2);"

  - "$uuid-\>"**import**"($fmt, $data\_ptr);"

  - "$data\_ptr = $uuid-\>"**export**"($fmt);"

  - "\[(\]$str\[, $rc)\] = $uuid-\>"**error**"();"

  - "$ver = $uuid-\>"**version**"();"

  - "undef $uuid;"

  Additionally, the strings `"v1"`, `"v3"`, `"v4"`, `"v5"` and `"mc"` can be used in `$mode` and the strings `"bin"`, `"str"`, and `"txt"` can be used for `$fmt`.

### C-STYLE API

The C-style API is a direct mapping of the **OSSP uuid** ISO-C API to Perl and is intended for low-level programming. See [**uuid**(3)](/uuid/3.md) for a description of the functions and their expected arguments.

- "use OSSP::uuid qw(:all);"

  - "my $uuid; $rc = "**uuid\_create**"($uuid);"

  - "$rc = "**uuid\_load**"($uuid, $name);"

  - "$rc = "**uuid\_make**"($uuid, $mode, ...);"

  - "$rc = "**uuid\_isnil**"($uuid, $result);"

  - "$rc = "**uuid\_compare**"($uuid, $uuid2, $result);"

  - "$rc = "**uuid\_import**"($uuid, $fmt, $data\_ptr, $data\_len);"

  - "$rc = "**uuid\_export**"($uuid, $fmt, $data\_ptr, $data\_len);"

  - "$str = "**uuid\_error**"($rc);"

  - "$ver = "**uuid\_version**"();"

  - "$rc = "**uuid\_destroy**"($uuid);"

  Additionally, the following constants are exported for use in `$rc`, `$mode`, `$fmt` and `$ver`:

`"UUID_VERSION"`, `"UUID_LEN_BIN"`, `"UUID_LEN_STR"`, `"UUID_RC_OK"`, `"UUID_RC_ARG"`, `"UUID_RC_MEM"`, `"UUID_RC_SYS"`, `"UUID_RC_INT"`, `"UUID_RC_IMP"`, `"UUID_MAKE_V1"`, `"UUID_MAKE_V3"`, `"UUID_MAKE_V4"`, `"UUID_MAKE_V5"`, `"UUID_MAKE_MC"`, `"UUID_FMT_BIN"`, `"UUID_FMT_STR"`, `"UUID_FMT_SIV"`, `"UUID_FMT_TXT"`.

## EXAMPLES

The following two examples create the version 3 UUID `"02d9e6d5-9467-382e-8f9b-9300a64ac3cd"`, both via the OO-style and the C-style API. Error handling is omitted here for easier reading, but has to be added for production-quality code.

```
  #   TIE-style API (very high-level)
  use OSSP::uuid;
  tie my $uuid, 'OSSP::uuid::tie';
  $uuid = [ "v1" ];
  print "UUIDs: $uuid, $uuid, $uuid\n";
  $uuid = [ "v3", "ns:URL", "http://www.ossp.org/" ];
  print "UUIDs: $uuid, $uuid, $uuid\n";
  untie $uuid;
  #   OO-style API (high-level)
  use OSSP::uuid;
  my $uuid    = new OSSP::uuid;
  my $uuid_ns = new OSSP::uuid;
  $uuid_ns->load("ns:URL");
  $uuid->make("v3", $uuid_ns, "http://www.ossp.org/");
  undef $uuid_ns;
  my $str = $uuid->export("str");
  undef $uuid;
  print "$str\n";
  #   C-style API (low-level)
  use OSSP::uuid qw(:all);
  my $uuid;    uuid_create($uuid);
  my $uuid_ns; uuid_create($uuid_ns);
  uuid_load($uuid_ns, "ns:URL");
  uuid_make($uuid, UUID_MAKE_V3, $uuid_ns, "http://www.ossp.org/");
  uuid_destroy($uuid_ns);
  my $str; uuid_export($uuid, UUID_FMT_STR, $str, undef);
  uuid_destroy($uuid);
  print "$str\n";
```

## SEE ALSO

[**uuid**(1)](/uuid/1.md), [**uuid-config**(1)](/uuid-config/1.md), [**uuid**(3)](/uuid/3.md).

## HISTORY

The Perl binding **OSSP::uuid** to **OSSP uuid** was implemented in November 2004 by Ralf S. Engelschall \<rse@engelschall.com\>.