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Polyfill Uuid Laravel Package
symfony/polyfill-uuid
Symfony polyfill for the PHP uuid extension. It provides the uuid_* functions on PHP installations without ext-uuid, so applications and libraries can use UUID helpers without requiring the extension. Lightweight, MIT-licensed, and maintained by Symfony.
Symfony polyfill for uuid functions
Frequently asked questions about Polyfill Uuid
- What is symfony/polyfill-uuid used for in Laravel?
- symfony/polyfill-uuid provides the uuid_* functions for PHP environments that do not have the uuid extension installed, so Laravel apps can generate UUIDs consistently across versions. It is a lightweight, MIT-licensed Symfony polyfill that follows the same approach as other Symfony polyfills. In Laravel it is typically available through the symfony/polyfill bundle and supports common UUID helpers without runtime configuration.
- How do I install symfony/polyfill-uuid in a Laravel app?
- Install it with composer require symfony/polyfill-uuid. Many Laravel applications already receive it through Symfony's polyfill bundle, so a separate install may not be necessary. After installation, the uuid_* functions are available when ext-uuid is absent, with no additional configuration required.
- Does symfony/polyfill-uuid work with Laravel Str::uuid() and Eloquent?
- Yes, the polyfill is designed to integrate with Laravel's Str facade, Eloquent models, and migrations. It provides the uuid_* functions that UUID helpers rely on and helps keep UUID output consistent across the stack. The evaluation notes zero code changes for simple v4 UUID use cases.
- Which PHP and Laravel versions does symfony/polyfill-uuid support?
- The evaluation lists support for PHP 5.6 through 8.0+ and Laravel 5.7+. It is backward compatible with recent versions and automatically defers to native ext-uuid when available. Always confirm your project's Composer constraints before upgrading.
- Does symfony/polyfill-uuid replace ramsey/uuid?
- The polyfill is not a full replacement for ramsey/uuid; it focuses on basic RFC 4122 v4 UUID generation through uuid_* functions. It can replace simple custom UUID logic or uuid4 calls where only v4 output is needed. For v1, v3, v5, custom namespaces, or validation, use ramsey/uuid instead.
- Is symfony/polyfill-uuid secure for production UUID generation?
- It generates RFC 4122-compliant v4 UUIDs using random_bytes(), which is suitable for audit trails and compliance-sensitive systems when PHP's CSPRNG is healthy. Security therefore depends on the deployment environment providing sufficient entropy. Test random_bytes() in Docker, CI/CD, and air-gapped systems before relying on it for critical identifiers.
- How does symfony/polyfill-uuid performance compare to native ext-uuid?
- The pure PHP implementation can add roughly 10–30% latency compared with native ext-uuid. The polyfill automatically defers to ext-uuid when the extension is available, so enabling it on PHP 8.0+ removes that overhead. Benchmark if your application generates more than about 10K UUIDs per second.
- Can I use uuid_generate_v4() in Laravel migrations with this polyfill?
- The TPM example shows using $table->uuid('id')->default(uuid_generate_v4()) in a Laravel migration. The polyfill supplies uuid_* functions in environments without ext-uuid, so verify the helper is available where migrations run. For portable schemas, also consider generating UUIDs in application code.
- What happens if random_bytes() fails in Docker or CI/CD?
- Because the polyfill relies on random_bytes(), UUID generation can fail when the environment has low entropy. In Docker, add --cap-add=SYS_RANDOM where appropriate, and test entropy in CI/CD pipelines. For critical systems, pair with ramsey/uuid or use a validated custom entropy source.
- Does symfony/polyfill-uuid support UUID v1, v3, v5, or validation?
- No, the polyfill only supports basic v4 UUID generation and does not provide v1, v3, v5, custom namespaces, or validation. Use ramsey/uuid if you need those advanced features, accepting the larger bundle size. For simple v4 identifiers, the polyfill stays lightweight and dependency-free.
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