How Can I Securely Obfuscate Django\'s Primary Key Using Unique Integer Identifiers?

Obscuring Django's Primary Key with Unique Integer Identifiers

In Django, the primary key is typically an auto-incremented integer that serves as a unique identifier for each row in a table. However, exposing this key in URLs or other public-facing contexts can compromise privacy and security. This article explores an alternative approach to obfuscating the primary key while maintaining its unique nature.

Requirements

• Primary Key field type should remain Integer.
• No hash/unhash operations during read/write/comparison.
• Irreversible hashing/encryption function.
• Unique values within each table only.
• Concise hashed values for shorter URLs.

Approach

To address these requirements, a solution similar to Instagram's ID generation system is proposed. This approach involves generating unique IDs composed of a time-based component and a random component.

Function for ID Generation

import time
import random

START_TIME = int(time.time() * 1000)  # Some constant timestamp

def make_id():

    t = int(time.time() * 1000) - START_TIME
    u = random.SystemRandom().getrandbits(23)
    id = (t << 23) | u

    return id

def reverse_id(id):

    t = id >> 23
    return t + START_TIME

The make_id function generates unique IDs using a 41-bit time-based component and a 23-bit random component. The reverse_id function allows for extracting the timestamp from the generated ID.

Model

from django.db import models

class MyClass(models.Model):

    id = models.BigIntegerField(default=make_id, primary_key=True)

By using the make_id function as the default value for the id field, new records will be assigned unique IDs upon insertion. This approach ensures that the Primary Key field retains its integer data type, while obscuring its sequential nature. Additionally, the random component of the ID prevents collisions even during concurrent insertions.

Usage

With this implementation, the primary key values will be unique integers that are concise and resistant to exposure while maintaining their primary key functionality.

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