A "ksuid" (K-Sortable Unique IDentifier) is a type of unique identifier designed to be sortable by generation time. Unlike traditional UUIDs (Universally Unique Identifiers) which are randomly generated and lack any inherent order, ksuids embed the timestamp of their generation into their structure, allowing them to be sorted chronologically.

Here's a breakdown of ksuids:

• Uniqueness: Similar to UUIDs, ksuids are globally unique. The probability of two ksuids being the same is extremely low, even across distributed systems.
• Sortable: Ksuids embed a timestamp component, enabling them to be sorted by the time they were generated. This feature is beneficial for applications requiring chronological ordering of records.
• Compactness: Despite containing a timestamp, ksuids are relatively compact. They typically consist of 20 bytes, making them efficient for storage and transmission.
• Compatibility: Ksuids are designed to be generated and parsed across various programming languages and platforms. They are suitable for a wide range of applications.
• Collision Resistance: Ksuids are engineered to be highly resistant to collisions, ensuring that each identifier is unique within practical constraints.

In summary, ksuids are valuable for scenarios where both uniqueness and the ability to sort or filter records based on their creation time are necessary. They are commonly used in distributed systems, databases, and applications where ordered or time-based operations are crucial.