I've been looking for a simple java algorithm to generate a pseudo-random alpha-numeric string. In my situation it would be used as a unique session/key identifier that would "likely" be unique over 500K+ generation (my needs don't really require anything much more sophisticated) . Ideally I would be able to specify a length depending on my uniqueness needs. For example, a generated string of length 12 might look something like "AEYGF7K0DM1X".

Answers: I like @Apocalisp and @erickson's answers equally well. The only downside to @Apocalisp's answer is it requires an apache class. Thanks to both for the help!