Base62 Key Generator Microservice

🔐 The Base62Key Generator Microservice creates unique, secure, human-readable keys using Base62 encoding. Ideal for applications requiring compact, easy-to-share keys. These keys are used to uniquely identify objects or resources within a system.

Use Case

The Base62 Key Generator microservice serves the purpose of creating unique, random, and secure keys for resources in a system. It is particularly useful in scenarios where you want to provide short, user-friendly, and easily shareable access tokens for various operations.

Functions

base62_key_generator.generate_key()

This function generates a Base62 key. It operates as follows:

1. Generates a 42-bit binary sequence.
2. Converts the binary sequence into a Base62 key.
3. Returns the generated Base62 key.

base62_key_generator.get_key()

This function retrieves an unused Base62 key from the database. It works as follows:

1. Selects the earliest created, unused key from the keys table.
2. Marks the selected key as used to avoid duplication.
3. Returns the selected Base62 key.

base62_key_generator.procedure_creation()

This function creates new Base62 keys in the keys table to maintain a specific target number of available keys. It is intended to be called by a scheduler.

base62_key_generator.procedure_deletion_used_key()

This function deletes used Base62 keys from the keys table. It is meant to be called by a scheduler. The keys to be deleted are tracked by the sequence_extraction_index sequence.

How It Works

1. Key Generation: When base62_key_generator.generate_key() is called, it starts by creating a 42-bit binary sequence. This sequence is then converted into a Base62 key by mapping each 6 bits to a Base62 character.

2. Key Retrieval: When base62_key_generator.get_key() is called, it retrieves the earliest created, unused key from the keys table. It ensures that each key is used only once.

3. Scheduled Procedures: The microservice has two scheduled procedures:

   • scheduler_create_new_keys: Calls base62_key_generator.procedure_creation() to create new keys if the number of available keys falls below a certain threshold.
   • scheduler_cleanup_used_keys: Calls base62_key_generator.procedure_deletion_used_key() to delete used keys, keeping the database tidy.

4. Security Policies: Only authenticated users with the email address 'admin@event.io' can generate keys, as defined by the RLS policy.

5. Row Level Security: RLS is enforced to restrict access based on user roles, ensuring that users can only access the keys they are allowed to.

6. Schema and Extension: The microservice utilizes the base62_key_generator schema for organization and the pg_cron extension for scheduling procedures.

7. Character Map: A JSON CHAR_MAP is used to map 6 bits to their respective Base62 characters during key generation.

The Base62 Key Generator microservice provides a robust and secure mechanism for generating and managing access keys in a system, ensuring smooth operations and controlled access to resources.