Laravel: Generate random unique token
Stefan Izdrail
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
Title: Generate Random Unique Tokens in Laravel for User Authentication
Body: In this blog post, we'll explore how to generate random tokens for a Laravel application to ensure unique token_id and token_key sets when users log into the site. By following these steps, you can guarantee that every user will have a distinct combination of tokens, enhancing your site's security as well as providing greater flexibility in authentication procedures.
To begin, we need to create two functions: one for generating random token keys and another for generating unique token IDs. We'll use built-in Laravel utilities such as Str::random (for unique tokens) and the Illuminate\Support\Str class (to generate random strings).
First, let's define the function for generating a random token key:
```php
function generateRandomTokenKey() {
$token_key = Str::random(20); // Generate a 20-character random string using Laravel's Str class
return $token_key;
}
```
Next, we create the function to generate a unique token ID:
```php
function generateUniqueTokenId() {
do {
$token_id = Str::random(16); // Generate a 16-character random string using Laravel's Str class
} while (DB::table('keys')->whereColumn('token_id', '=', $token_id)->exists()); // Check if any record already exists with the same token ID in the database table
return $token_id;
}
```
In this function, we generate a 16-character random string as our token_id. Then, before returning it, we perform a database check to ensure no existing row has the same token ID. If no such row is found, we can safely return the newly generated token_id without worrying about duplicates.
Now, let's examine how to use both functions in your Laravel application:
1. Create a model for managing tokens:
```php
class Token extends Model {
public $timestamps = false;
protected $fillable = ['user_id', 'token_id', 'token_key'];
}
```
2. Migrate your database to include the table structure:
```php
Schema::create('keys', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->bigIncrements('id');
$table->unsignedBigInteger('user_id');
$table->string('token_id');
$table->string('token_key');
$table->timestamps();
});
```
3. In your controller's login method, generate the token ID and key when a user logs in:
```php
$user = Auth::attempt($credentials); // Authenticate the user
if (!$user) {
// User authentication failed; return appropriate response
} else {
$token_id = generateUniqueTokenId();
$token_key = generateRandomTokenKey();
DB::table('keys')->insert([
'user_id' => $user->id,
'token_id' => $token_id,
'token_key' => $token_key
]);
// Store the token in a session or cookie for future use; this will depend on your preferred authentication approach
}
```
By using these steps, you can efficiently generate random tokens and ensure they are unique within your database. The Laravel framework provides powerful tools to simplify your application's security aspects while maintaining high performance and scalability. To maintain best practices, be sure to implement appropriate measures against potential vulnerabilities as well.