Generate random string/characters in JavaScript

Question

I want a 5 character string composed of characters picked randomly from the set [a-zA-Z0-9].

What\'s the best way to do this with JavaScript?

Answer 1

The most compact solution, because slice is shorter than substring. Subtracting from the end of the string allows to avoid floating point symbol generated by the random function:

Math.random().toString(36).slice(-5);

or even

(+new Date).toString(36).slice(-5);

Update: Added one more approach using btoa method:

btoa(Math.random()).slice(0, 5);
btoa(+new Date).slice(-7, -2);
btoa(+new Date).substr(-7, 5);

// Using Math.random and Base 36:
console.log(Math.random().toString(36).slice(-5));

// Using new Date and Base 36:
console.log((+new Date).toString(36).slice(-5));

// Using Math.random and Base 64 (btoa):
console.log(btoa(Math.random()).slice(0, 5));

// Using new Date and Base 64 (btoa):
console.log(btoa(+new Date).slice(-7, -2));
console.log(btoa(+new Date).substr(-7, 5));