QuantumRNG

A Ruby gem that leverages the ANU Quantum Random Numbers Server API.

Acknowledgements

This gem exists entirely as an interface to the ANU Quantum Random Numbers API. All of the heavy lifting is done on their side, and any credit belongs entirely to them. I have just generalized access to the JSON API. Please give them a visit: http://photonics.anu.edu.au/qoptics/Research/qrng.php

So, you want random numbers...

Computers are great at creating pseudorandom numbers, but true randomness requires a little bit more effort.

That's where the fine folks at the ANU Quantum Random Numbers Server come in. They've provided a handy JSON API for accessing what they guess are truly random numbers. You can read more about the science behind this and why they believe they've achieved true randomness at their site.

Installation

gem install quantum_rng

If you're using Bundler, include the gem in your Gemfile:

gem 'quantum_rng'

Usage

Method	Argument(s)	Description
uint8	count = 1	count integers between 0 and 255
uint16	count = 1	count integers between 0 and 65535
hex16	block_size, count = 1	count hex numbers of block_size bytes
random	count = 1	count real numbers between 0 and 1, inclusive
int	max, count = 1	count integers in the range [0, max)
float	max, count = 1	count real numbers in the range [0, max)

Every method returns an array of numbers.

Errors

• If you are unable to connect to the ANU RNG server for any reason, this gem will default to similar interactions using SecureRandom. In future versions, this will be allowed as a configuration option.
• Requesting too many numbers (usually where count > 1025) or passing invalid arguments will likely cause a RuntimeError. In future versions, this behavior will be softened.

Examples

  # A single random uint8
  QuantumRNG.uint8
  # 5 random uint8
  QuantumRNG.uint8(5)

  # A single random uint16
  QuantumRNG.uint16
  # 5 random uint16
  QuantumRNG.uint16(5)

  # A single 1-byte hex number
  QuantumRNG.hex16(1)
  # 5 random 1-byte hex numbers
  QuantumRNG.hex16(1, 5)

  # A single random between 0 and 1, inclusive
  QuantumRNG.random
  # 5 randoms between 0 and 1, inclusive
  QuantumRNG.random(5)

  # A single random int less than 100
  QuantumRNG.int(100)
  # 5 ints less than 100
  QuantumRNG.int(100, 5)

  # A single random float less than 100
  QuantumRNG.float(100)
  # 5 random floats less than 100
  QuantumRNG.float(100, 5)

TODO

Future versions will include better error handling.