---
title: Next.js encountered the unstable value crypto.randomUUID() while prerendering
kind: insight
---

<div
  style={{
    padding: '1.25rem 1.5rem',
    border: '1px solid var(--ds-gray-400)',
    borderRadius: '12px',
    background: 'var(--ds-background-200)',
    margin: '1.5rem 0 2rem',
    fontSize: '0.95rem',
    lineHeight: '1.6',
  }}
>
  This Insight is part of the [Instant
  Navigations](https://nextjs.org/blog/next-16-3-instant-navigations) feature
  introduced in Next.js 16.3. If you're new to it, start with the [Ensuring
  instant navigations](/docs/app/guides/instant-navigation) guide for an
  overview of what instant navigations are and how Next.js validates them, then
  come back here for the specific fix.
</div>

During [prerendering](/docs/app/glossary#prerendering), a Server Component called a synchronous [Web Crypto](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Crypto) or Node [`crypto`](https://nodejs.org/api/crypto.html) API that produces a random value ([`crypto.randomUUID()`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Crypto/randomUUID), [`crypto.getRandomValues()`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Crypto/getRandomValues), [`crypto.randomBytes()`](https://nodejs.org/api/crypto.html#cryptorandombytessize-callback), [`crypto.generateKeyPairSync()`](https://nodejs.org/api/crypto.html#cryptogeneratekeypairsynctype-options)) outside of [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense). With [Cache Components](/docs/app/api-reference/config/next-config-js/cacheComponents) enabled, Next.js can't bake an unpredictable value into the prerendered HTML. The value at build time will differ from the value at runtime, so you need to choose: cache the generated value so it's stable, defer the call behind a [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) boundary so it runs per-request, or move it to the client.

Other unpredictable APIs ([`Math.random()`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math/random), [`Date.now()`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date/now)) have parallel error pages: see [`Math.random()`](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-random) and [`Date.now()`](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-current-time). The Client Component case is handled at [Crypto APIs in a Client Component](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-crypto-client).

## Ways to fix this

<FixCardGrid>
  <FixCard
    group="dynamic"
    title="Generate on every request"
    href="#generate-on-every-request"
    snippets={[
      { text: 'await connection()', highlight: true },
      { text: 'const id = crypto.randomUUID()' },
      { text: 'return <Token id={id} />' },
    ]}
  />
  <FixCard
    group="cache"
    title="Cache the generated value"
    href="#cache-the-generated-value"
    snippets={[
      { text: 'function TokenId() {' },
      { text: '  "use cache"', highlight: true },
      { text: '  return crypto.randomUUID()' },
    ]}
  />
  <FixCard
    group="client"
    title="Render on the client"
    href="#render-on-the-client"
    snippets={[
      { text: '"use client"', highlight: true },
      { text: '// runs in the browser' },
      { text: 'const id = crypto.randomUUID()' },
    ]}
  />
</FixCardGrid>

## Generate on every request

Choose this fix when each request needs a fresh token: a session ID, an OAuth state, a single-use nonce, a CSRF token. Add [`await connection()`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/connection) before the call to tell Next.js the surrounding component is request-bound. The component is excluded from the prerender and streamed in from the nearest [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) boundary on each request.

### Patterns

#### Use `await connection()` before the crypto call

Call [`connection()`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/connection) before the crypto API. Everything after the `await` is request-time. Wrap the component in [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) so the surrounding shell stays prerendered and only the dynamic part streams in.

Push the [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) boundary as close to the crypto call as possible. If the parent has cached content, isolate the crypto read in its own component so only that piece falls behind the boundary.

```jsx filename="app/dashboard/page.js"
import { Suspense } from 'react'

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <DashboardShell>
      <Suspense fallback={null}>
        <CsrfToken />
      </Suspense>
      <CachedStats />
    </DashboardShell>
  )
}
```

```jsx filename="app/dashboard/csrf-token.js"
import { connection } from 'next/server'

export async function CsrfToken() {
  await connection()
  return <input type="hidden" name="csrf" value={crypto.randomUUID()} />
}
```

#### Alternative: `await io()`

Use [`io()`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/io) from `next/cache` to keep the read out of the static shell. Unlike [`connection()`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/connection), `io()` doesn't block prefetches and works inside `"use cache"` scopes and Client Components.

```jsx filename="app/dashboard/csrf-token.js"
import { io } from 'next/cache'

export async function CsrfToken() {
  await io()
  return <input type="hidden" name="csrf" value={crypto.randomUUID()} />
}
```

Learn more: [`connection`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/connection), [`io`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/io), [Streaming](/docs/app/guides/streaming).

#### Switch to an async crypto API

When an async equivalent of the API exists, prefer it. Async crypto operations integrate with [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) naturally and don't need [`await connection()`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/connection): the [`await`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/await) already tells Next.js the surrounding scope is request-time.

```jsx filename="app/page.js"
import { randomBytes } from 'node:crypto'
import { promisify } from 'node:util'
import { Suspense } from 'react'

const randomBytesAsync = promisify(randomBytes)

export default async function Page() {
  return (
    <Suspense fallback={<TokenSkeleton />}>
      <TokenDisplay />
    </Suspense>
  )
}

async function TokenDisplay() {
  const buf = await randomBytesAsync(32)
  return <code>{buf.toString('hex')}</code>
}
```

Learn more: [Node `crypto` API](https://nodejs.org/docs/latest/api/crypto.html).

### Trade-off

The route renders on every request. The shell still ships instantly because of the [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) boundary, but the dynamic region waits on the server render before it paints. When the fallback is visible UI, design it to approximate the final layout so it doesn't cause a layout shift when the content arrives. See [minimizing layout shift](/docs/app/guides/streaming#cls-cumulative-layout-shift).

### Gotchas

- Any UI rendered as part of the prerender shell must be deterministic. That includes [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) fallbacks, [`loading.js`](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/loading), [`error.js`](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/error), [`not-found.js`](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/not-found), and [`global-error.js`](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/error#global-error). Calling a crypto API in any of them raises this same error.
- For genuinely security-critical tokens (session IDs, CSRF), [Generate on every request](#generate-on-every-request) is the only correct choice. Caching a CSRF token across visitors defeats its purpose.
- This error only fires for synchronous random-producing APIs. Async crypto operations ([`crypto.subtle.digest()`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/SubtleCrypto/digest), [`crypto.generateKeyPair()`](https://nodejs.org/api/crypto.html#cryptogeneratekeypairtype-options-callback)) integrate with [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) naturally and don't trip the error.

## Cache the generated value

Choose this fix when the generated value is a _key into another cached operation_. The classic case is a service that requires a token: generate the token once, cache it, and let it serve as the cache key for downstream lookups. The user-visible value never changes across visitors, which is fine because the user never sees the token directly.

### Patterns

#### Cache the token alongside the query that uses it

Wrap both the token generation and the call that consumes it in the same [`use cache`](/docs/app/api-reference/directives/use-cache) function.

```jsx filename="app/page.js"
async function getCachedData() {
  'use cache'
  const token = crypto.randomUUID()
  return db.query(token /* … */)
}

export default async function Page() {
  const data = await getCachedData()
  return <View data={data} />
}
```

Learn more: [Caching with `use cache`](/docs/app/api-reference/directives/use-cache).

#### Tag the cache for explicit rotation

When you want to rotate the token on a schedule or in response to an event, tag the entry with [`cacheTag`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/cacheTag). Invalidate from a Server Action with [`updateTag`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/updateTag) (read-your-own-writes: the next request waits for fresh data) or from a Route Handler with [`revalidateTag`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/revalidateTag) (stale-while-revalidate).

```jsx filename="app/page.js"
import { cacheTag } from 'next/cache'

async function getApiToken() {
  'use cache'
  cacheTag('api-token')
  return crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex')
}
```

Learn more: [How revalidation works](/docs/app/guides/how-revalidation-works).

### Trade-off

Every visitor in the cache window uses the same generated value. That's the right answer for upstream cache keys and signing keys you control, and the wrong answer for per-user identity (sessions, CSRF, nonces).

### Gotchas

- Don't cache a value that's intended as a security token for visitors. If the same "random" UUID is used as a CSRF token for every user, the protection is gone.
- [`use cache`](/docs/app/api-reference/directives/use-cache) can't combine with [`cookies()`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/cookies) or [`headers()`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/headers) in the same scope, so you can't key the cached value by user identity from inside the cached function.
- If you cache a function and still see this error, the [`cacheLife`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/cacheLife) may be too short to prerender. See [Short-lived caches](#short-lived-caches).

### Short-lived caches

[`use cache`](/docs/app/api-reference/directives/use-cache) accepts a [`cacheLife`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/cacheLife) profile. A short profile (such as `"seconds"` or `"minutes"`) whose `revalidate` is shorter than the prerender's effective lifetime prevents the value from being included in the prerender. The segment becomes a dynamic hole instead. The cache entry still helps the [Client Cache](/docs/app/glossary#client-cache) and protects upstream APIs, but the page falls back to streaming.

To keep the page prerendered, use a profile with a longer revalidate window such as `"default"` (15 minutes), `"hours"`, or `"days"`. If a short profile is intentional, treat the value as dynamic and use [Generate on every request](#generate-on-every-request) instead.

## Render on the client

Choose this fix when the generated value belongs to the client experience. A client-only correlation ID for telemetry, a draft-state key in [`localStorage`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/localStorage), a UI nonce for a confirmation modal. Move the component into a [Client Component](/docs/app/getting-started/server-and-client-components) so the value is produced after hydration.

### Patterns

#### Move the component to the client

Add [`use client`](/docs/app/api-reference/directives/use-client) and call the crypto API inside the component.

```jsx filename="app/draft-key.js"
'use client'

import { startTransition, useEffect, useState } from 'react'

export function DraftKey() {
  const [key, setKey] = useState(null)
  useEffect(() => {
    // Wrap in startTransition so that if any component below suspends
    // during this update, React keeps the existing UI visible instead
    // of flashing the nearest outer <Suspense> fallback.
    startTransition(() => {
      setKey(crypto.randomUUID())
    })
  }, [])
  return <input type="hidden" value={key ?? ''} />
}
```

Learn more: [Client Components](/docs/app/getting-started/server-and-client-components#using-client-components).

### Trade-off

The first paint shows the SSR fallback (often `null`), and the value appears only after the browser hydrates the component. That's fine for client-only state but wrong for tokens that have to be in the prerendered HTML. See [Preventing flash before hydration](/docs/app/guides/preventing-flash-before-hydration) for techniques that eliminate the flash.

### Gotchas

- A Client Component that calls a crypto API inline during render still trips this error during SSR. See the dedicated [Crypto APIs in a Client Component](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-crypto-client) page for the [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) and effect-based recipes.
- The browser only ships [Web Crypto](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Crypto). Node-only APIs (`crypto.randomBytes`, `crypto.generateKeyPairSync`) are not available on the client.

## Verifying the fix

After applying a fix, reload the route and confirm the page immediately paints meaningful UI, with any `<Suspense>` fallbacks covering only the regions that stream in. A [`<Suspense>`](https://react.dev/reference/react/Suspense) boundary placed around the whole page body can pass validation with an empty shell, which defeats the point of an instant navigation.

In [`next dev`](/docs/app/api-reference/cli/next#next-dev-options), the error overlay points at the failing component with file paths and line numbers. When working from a build instead, the default [`next build`](/docs/app/api-reference/cli/next#next-build-options) output is more abbreviated. Run `next build --debug-prerender` for full user-frame stack traces and `next build --debug-build-paths /dashboard /settings` to iterate on specific routes.

## Why `instant = false` doesn't clear this error

This error fires from the prerender, not from instant-navigation validation. `crypto.randomUUID()` and related APIs return a different value on every call, so the prerender can't bake them into a static shell regardless of the segment's `instant` config or [`experimental.instantInsights.validationLevel`](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/route-segment-config/instant#configuring-validation-defaults). Use one of the fixes above.

## Related Insights

- [Runtime data during prerendering](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-runtime)
- [Uncached data during prerendering](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-dynamic)
- [URL data in a Client Component outside of Suspense](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-client-hook)
- [Runtime data in `generateMetadata()`](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-metadata-runtime)
- [Uncached data in `generateMetadata()`](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-metadata-dynamic)
- [Runtime data in `generateViewport()`](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-viewport-runtime)
- [Uncached data in `generateViewport()`](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-viewport-dynamic)
- [`Math.random()` while prerendering](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-random)
- [`Math.random()` in a Client Component](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-random-client)
- [`Date.now()` while prerendering](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-current-time)
- [`Date.now()` in a Client Component](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-current-time-client)
- [Crypto APIs in a Client Component](/docs/messages/blocking-prerender-crypto-client)
- [Dynamic data during prefetching](/docs/messages/instant-link-prefetch-partial)
- [URL data outside of Suspense](/docs/messages/instant-shell-url-data)
- [Unrendered segment](/docs/messages/instant-unrendered-segment)
