diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 6aee3bb0d6..4cac904ad5 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -4441,6 +4441,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "dashmap",
  "lock_api",
  "parking_lot",
+ "proptest",
  "pyo3",
  "quickcheck 1.0.3",
  "quickcheck_macros",
@@ -4448,6 +4449,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "rayon",
  "rustc-hash",
  "serde",
+ "twox-hash",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/docs/requirements.txt b/docs/requirements.txt
index cde87b4e21..3b1c2f6da7 100644
--- a/docs/requirements.txt
+++ b/docs/requirements.txt
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ traitlets==5.14.3
     #   nbsphinx
 typing-extensions==4.12.2
     # via pydata-sphinx-theme
-urllib3==2.2.1
+urllib3==2.2.2
     # via requests
 webencodings==0.5.1
     # via
diff --git a/examples/rust/src/bin/btc/main.rs b/examples/rust/src/bin/btc/main.rs
index 759786c123..994e336ff9 100644
--- a/examples/rust/src/bin/btc/main.rs
+++ b/examples/rust/src/bin/btc/main.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #![allow(dead_code)]
 
 use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
-use raphtory::{core::utils::hashing, io::csv_loader::CsvLoader, prelude::*};
+use raphtory::{io::csv_loader::CsvLoader, prelude::*};
 use regex::Regex;
 use serde::Deserialize;
 use std::{
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ fn main() {
         panic!("Missing data dir = {}", data_dir.to_str().unwrap())
     }
 
-    let test_v = hashing::calculate_hash(&"139eeGkMGR6F9EuJQ3qYoXebfkBbNAsLtV:btc");
+    let test_v = "139eeGkMGR6F9EuJQ3qYoXebfkBbNAsLtV:btc".id();
 
     // If data_dir/graphdb.bincode exists, use bincode to load the graph from binary encoded data files
     // otherwise load the graph from csv data files
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ fn main() {
         CsvLoader::new(data_dir)
             .with_filter(Regex::new(r".+(sent|received)").unwrap())
             .load_into_graph(&g, |sent: Sent, g: &Graph| {
-                let src = hashing::calculate_hash(&sent.addr);
-                let dst = hashing::calculate_hash(&sent.txn);
+                let src = sent.addr.id();
+                let dst = sent.txn.id();
                 let time = sent.time.timestamp();
 
                 if src == test_v || dst == test_v {
diff --git a/examples/rust/src/bin/lotr/main.rs b/examples/rust/src/bin/lotr/main.rs
index 65ef968056..d96fe32443 100644
--- a/examples/rust/src/bin/lotr/main.rs
+++ b/examples/rust/src/bin/lotr/main.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use raphtory::{
-    algorithms::pathing::temporal_reachability::temporally_reachable_nodes, core::utils::hashing,
+    algorithms::pathing::temporal_reachability::temporally_reachable_nodes,
     io::csv_loader::CsvLoader, prelude::*,
 };
 use serde::Deserialize;
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ fn main() {
     assert_eq!(graph.count_nodes(), 139);
     assert_eq!(graph.count_edges(), 701);
 
-    let gandalf = hashing::calculate_hash(&"Gandalf");
+    let gandalf = "Gandalf".id();
 
     assert_eq!(gandalf, 2760374808085341115);
     assert!(graph.has_node(gandalf));
diff --git a/pometry-storage-private b/pometry-storage-private
index 00addb990e..7a99bad373 160000
--- a/pometry-storage-private
+++ b/pometry-storage-private
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 00addb990e0a98f91a3c1d3f0ee083a666c4bbe7
+Subproject commit 7a99bad37344cbbf985b842d989771edea135387
diff --git a/raphtory-api/Cargo.toml b/raphtory-api/Cargo.toml
index 05686db562..256e9cb601 100644
--- a/raphtory-api/Cargo.toml
+++ b/raphtory-api/Cargo.toml
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ rayon = { workspace = true }
 rand = { workspace = true }
 quickcheck = { workspace = true }
 quickcheck_macros = { workspace = true }
+twox-hash.workspace = true
+
+[dev-dependencies]
+proptest.workspace = true
 
 [features]
 default = []
diff --git a/raphtory/src/core/entities/nodes/input_node.rs b/raphtory-api/src/core/input/input_node.rs
similarity index 95%
rename from raphtory/src/core/entities/nodes/input_node.rs
rename to raphtory-api/src/core/input/input_node.rs
index 10f99ce39e..747e6cd959 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/core/entities/nodes/input_node.rs
+++ b/raphtory-api/src/core/input/input_node.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 //! `u64`, `&str`, and `String`.
 
 use crate::core::utils::hashing;
+
 const MAX_U64_BYTES: [u8; 20] = [
     49, 56, 52, 52, 54, 55, 52, 52, 48, 55, 51, 55, 48, 57, 53, 53, 49, 54, 49, 53,
 ];
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ impl InputNode for String {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
-    use crate::core::entities::nodes::input_node::{parse_u64_strict, InputNode};
+    use crate::core::input::input_node::{parse_u64_strict, InputNode};
     use proptest::prelude::*;
 
     #[test]
@@ -109,6 +110,8 @@ mod test {
             let res = parse_u64_strict(&s);
             if let Some(n) = res {
                 assert_eq!(n.to_string(), s)
+            } else {
+                assert_ne!(s.id().to_string(), s)
             }
         });
     }
diff --git a/raphtory-api/src/core/input/mod.rs b/raphtory-api/src/core/input/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6da2c75cc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raphtory-api/src/core/input/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+pub mod input_node;
diff --git a/raphtory-api/src/core/mod.rs b/raphtory-api/src/core/mod.rs
index c8a39e619a..a1f13607c0 100644
--- a/raphtory-api/src/core/mod.rs
+++ b/raphtory-api/src/core/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 pub mod entities;
+pub mod input;
 pub mod storage;
+pub mod utils;
 
 /// Denotes the direction of an edge. Can be incoming, outgoing or both.
 #[derive(
diff --git a/raphtory-api/src/core/storage/dict_mapper.rs b/raphtory-api/src/core/storage/dict_mapper.rs
index e447224834..3c91352ef7 100644
--- a/raphtory-api/src/core/storage/dict_mapper.rs
+++ b/raphtory-api/src/core/storage/dict_mapper.rs
@@ -67,14 +67,11 @@ impl DictMapper {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
-    use std::{collections::HashMap, sync::Arc, thread};
-
     use crate::core::storage::dict_mapper::DictMapper;
     use quickcheck_macros::quickcheck;
     use rand::seq::SliceRandom;
     use rayon::prelude::*;
-
-    use super::*;
+    use std::collections::HashMap;
 
     #[test]
     fn test_dict_mapper() {
diff --git a/raphtory-api/src/core/utils/hashing.rs b/raphtory-api/src/core/utils/hashing.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1a3bef2cbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raphtory-api/src/core/utils/hashing.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+//! Utility functions used throughout the modules.
+
+use std::hash::{Hash, Hasher};
+use twox_hash::XxHash64;
+
+pub fn calculate_hash<T: Hash + ?Sized>(t: &T) -> u64 {
+    let mut s = XxHash64::default();
+    t.hash(&mut s);
+    s.finish()
+}
diff --git a/raphtory-api/src/core/utils/mod.rs b/raphtory-api/src/core/utils/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..62c68590b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raphtory-api/src/core/utils/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+pub mod hashing;
diff --git a/raphtory-graphql/src/lib.rs b/raphtory-graphql/src/lib.rs
index 92e059a2d6..9ad43a5175 100644
--- a/raphtory-graphql/src/lib.rs
+++ b/raphtory-graphql/src/lib.rs
@@ -49,10 +49,7 @@ mod graphql_test {
         prelude::*,
     };
     use serde_json::json;
-    use std::{
-        collections::{HashMap, HashSet},
-        path::Path,
-    };
+    use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
     use tempfile::{tempdir, TempDir};
 
     #[tokio::test]
diff --git a/raphtory/src/algorithms/pathing/temporal_reachability.rs b/raphtory/src/algorithms/pathing/temporal_reachability.rs
index 8db7379ed1..ba1bd14d1c 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/algorithms/pathing/temporal_reachability.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/algorithms/pathing/temporal_reachability.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 use crate::{
     algorithms::algorithm_result::AlgorithmResult,
-    core::{
-        entities::nodes::input_node::InputNode,
-        state::{
-            accumulator_id::accumulators::{hash_set, min, or},
-            compute_state::ComputeStateVec,
-        },
+    core::state::{
+        accumulator_id::accumulators::{hash_set, min, or},
+        compute_state::ComputeStateVec,
     },
     db::{
         api::view::StaticGraphViewOps,
@@ -20,6 +17,7 @@ use crate::{
 };
 use itertools::Itertools;
 use num_traits::Zero;
+use raphtory_api::core::input::input_node::InputNode;
 use std::{collections::HashMap, ops::Add};
 
 #[derive(Eq, Hash, PartialEq, Clone, Debug, Default)]
diff --git a/raphtory/src/core/entities/graph/tgraph.rs b/raphtory/src/core/entities/graph/tgraph.rs
index 04f0a88152..3f1a7625ab 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/core/entities/graph/tgraph.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/core/entities/graph/tgraph.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use crate::{
                 tgraph_storage::GraphStorage,
                 timer::{MaxCounter, MinCounter, TimeCounterTrait},
             },
-            nodes::{input_node::InputNode, node_ref::NodeRef, node_store::NodeStore},
+            nodes::{node_ref::NodeRef, node_store::NodeStore},
             properties::{graph_meta::GraphMeta, props::Meta, tprop::TProp},
             LayerIds, EID, VID,
         },
@@ -24,8 +24,11 @@ use crate::{
     },
     prelude::DeletionOps,
 };
-use dashmap::{DashMap, DashSet};
-use raphtory_api::core::storage::{arc_str::ArcStr, locked_vec::ArcReadLockedVec, FxDashMap};
+use dashmap::DashSet;
+use raphtory_api::core::{
+    input::input_node::InputNode,
+    storage::{arc_str::ArcStr, locked_vec::ArcReadLockedVec, FxDashMap},
+};
 use rustc_hash::FxHasher;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::{
diff --git a/raphtory/src/core/entities/nodes/mod.rs b/raphtory/src/core/entities/nodes/mod.rs
index 50bcd8fd31..094e8f0f17 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/core/entities/nodes/mod.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/core/entities/nodes/mod.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-pub mod input_node;
 pub mod node_ref;
 pub mod node_store;
 pub mod structure;
diff --git a/raphtory/src/core/entities/properties/props.rs b/raphtory/src/core/entities/properties/props.rs
index bc47b7fa9b..9da6ab3625 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/core/entities/properties/props.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/core/entities/properties/props.rs
@@ -10,13 +10,12 @@ use crate::{
     },
     db::api::storage::tprop_storage_ops::TPropOps,
 };
-use lock_api;
 use parking_lot::RwLock;
 use raphtory_api::core::storage::{
     arc_str::ArcStr, dict_mapper::DictMapper, locked_vec::ArcReadLockedVec,
 };
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
-use std::{borrow::Borrow, fmt::Debug, hash::Hash, ops::Deref, sync::Arc};
+use std::{fmt::Debug, hash::Hash, ops::Deref, sync::Arc};
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Default, Debug, PartialEq)]
 pub struct Props {
@@ -319,7 +318,6 @@ impl PropMapper {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
     use super::*;
-    use rayon::prelude::*;
     use std::{sync::Arc, thread};
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/raphtory/src/core/mod.rs b/raphtory/src/core/mod.rs
index 0ecfb962dd..7da0d312c2 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/core/mod.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/core/mod.rs
@@ -29,16 +29,15 @@ use crate::{
     prelude::GraphViewOps,
 };
 use chrono::{DateTime, NaiveDateTime, Utc};
+use raphtory_api::core::storage::arc_str::ArcStr;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use serde_json::Value;
 use std::{
-    borrow::Borrow,
     cmp::Ordering,
     collections::HashMap,
     fmt,
     fmt::{Display, Formatter},
     hash::{Hash, Hasher},
-    ops::Deref,
     sync::Arc,
 };
 
@@ -53,9 +52,6 @@ pub mod state;
 pub mod storage;
 pub mod utils;
 
-// this is here because Arc<str> annoyingly doesn't implement all the expected comparisons
-
-use raphtory_api::core::storage::arc_str::ArcStr;
 pub use raphtory_api::core::*;
 
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq, Hash)]
diff --git a/raphtory/src/core/utils/hashing.rs b/raphtory/src/core/utils/hashing.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 006b10b429..0000000000
--- a/raphtory/src/core/utils/hashing.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-#![allow(dead_code)]
-
-//! Utility functions used throughout the modules.
-
-use std::hash::{Hash, Hasher};
-use twox_hash::XxHash64;
-
-#[cfg(feature = "storage")]
-use pometry_storage::GID;
-
-pub fn calculate_hash<T: Hash + ?Sized>(t: &T) -> u64 {
-    let mut s = XxHash64::default();
-    t.hash(&mut s);
-    s.finish()
-}
-
-#[cfg(feature = "storage")]
-pub fn calculate_hash_spark(gid: &GID) -> i64 {
-    let mut s = XxHash64::with_seed(42);
-    match gid {
-        GID::U64(x) => s.write_u64(*x),
-        GID::I64(x) => s.write_i64(*x),
-        GID::Str(t) => {
-            t.chars().for_each(|c| s.write_u8(c as u8));
-        }
-    }
-    s.finish() as i64
-}
-
-pub fn get_shard_id_from_global_vid(v_id: u64, n_shards: usize) -> usize {
-    (v_id % n_shards as u64) as usize
-}
diff --git a/raphtory/src/core/utils/mod.rs b/raphtory/src/core/utils/mod.rs
index 7c640621d9..f9a5a35317 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/core/utils/mod.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/core/utils/mod.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
 pub mod errors;
-pub mod hashing;
 pub mod time;
diff --git a/raphtory/src/db/api/mutation/addition_ops.rs b/raphtory/src/db/api/mutation/addition_ops.rs
index d1a50e619f..1bb5ae0a8f 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/db/api/mutation/addition_ops.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/db/api/mutation/addition_ops.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use crate::{
     core::{
-        entities::{edges::edge_ref::EdgeRef, nodes::input_node::InputNode},
+        entities::edges::edge_ref::EdgeRef,
         utils::{errors::GraphError, time::IntoTimeWithFormat},
         Prop,
     },
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ use crate::{
         graph::{edge::EdgeView, node::NodeView},
     },
 };
+use raphtory_api::core::input::input_node::InputNode;
 
 use super::time_from_input;
 
diff --git a/raphtory/src/db/api/mutation/deletion_ops.rs b/raphtory/src/db/api/mutation/deletion_ops.rs
index 9ab844abeb..888db66bd3 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/db/api/mutation/deletion_ops.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/db/api/mutation/deletion_ops.rs
@@ -1,13 +1,11 @@
 use crate::{
-    core::{
-        entities::nodes::input_node::InputNode,
-        utils::{errors::GraphError, time::IntoTimeWithFormat},
-    },
+    core::utils::{errors::GraphError, time::IntoTimeWithFormat},
     db::api::mutation::{
         internal::{InternalAdditionOps, InternalDeletionOps},
         TryIntoInputTime,
     },
 };
+use raphtory_api::core::input::input_node::InputNode;
 
 use super::time_from_input;
 
diff --git a/raphtory/src/db/api/storage/edges/edges.rs b/raphtory/src/db/api/storage/edges/edges.rs
index 8117610716..7ded8af78c 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/db/api/storage/edges/edges.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/db/api/storage/edges/edges.rs
@@ -1,22 +1,20 @@
+use super::edge_entry::EdgeStorageEntry;
 use crate::{
     core::{
         entities::{edges::edge_store::EdgeStore, LayerIds, EID},
         storage::ReadLockedStorage,
     },
-    db::api::storage::nodes::unlocked::UnlockedEdges,
+    db::api::storage::{
+        edges::edge_storage_ops::EdgeStorageOps, nodes::unlocked::UnlockedEdges,
+        variants::storage_variants3::StorageVariants,
+    },
 };
-
-#[cfg(feature = "storage")]
-use crate::disk_graph::storage_interface::edges_ref::DiskEdgesRef;
-
-use super::edge_entry::EdgeStorageEntry;
-use crate::db::api::storage::edges::edge_storage_ops::EdgeStorageOps;
-#[cfg(feature = "storage")]
-use crate::disk_graph::storage_interface::edges::DiskEdges;
-use either::Either;
 use rayon::iter::ParallelIterator;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "storage")]
+use crate::disk_graph::storage_interface::{edges::DiskEdges, edges_ref::DiskEdgesRef};
+
 pub enum EdgesStorage {
     Mem(Arc<ReadLockedStorage<EdgeStore, EID>>),
     #[cfg(feature = "storage")]
@@ -42,9 +40,6 @@ pub enum EdgesStorageRef<'a> {
     Disk(DiskEdgesRef<'a>),
 }
 
-#[cfg(feature = "storage")]
-use crate::db::api::storage::variants::storage_variants3::StorageVariants;
-
 impl<'a> EdgesStorageRef<'a> {
     #[cfg(feature = "storage")]
     pub fn iter(self, layers: LayerIds) -> impl Iterator<Item = EdgeStorageEntry<'a>> {
@@ -70,13 +65,13 @@ impl<'a> EdgesStorageRef<'a> {
     #[cfg(not(feature = "storage"))]
     pub fn iter(self, layers: LayerIds) -> impl Iterator<Item = EdgeStorageEntry<'a>> {
         match self {
-            EdgesStorageRef::Mem(storage) => Either::Left(
+            EdgesStorageRef::Mem(storage) => StorageVariants::Mem(
                 storage
                     .iter()
                     .filter(move |e| e.has_layer(&layers))
                     .map(EdgeStorageEntry::Mem),
             ),
-            EdgesStorageRef::Unlocked(edges) => Either::Right(
+            EdgesStorageRef::Unlocked(edges) => StorageVariants::Unlocked(
                 edges
                     .iter()
                     .filter(move |e| e.has_layer(&layers))
@@ -109,13 +104,13 @@ impl<'a> EdgesStorageRef<'a> {
     #[cfg(not(feature = "storage"))]
     pub fn par_iter(self, layers: LayerIds) -> impl ParallelIterator<Item = EdgeStorageEntry<'a>> {
         match self {
-            EdgesStorageRef::Mem(storage) => Either::Left(
+            EdgesStorageRef::Mem(storage) => StorageVariants::Mem(
                 storage
                     .par_iter()
                     .filter(move |e| e.has_layer(&layers))
                     .map(EdgeStorageEntry::Mem),
             ),
-            EdgesStorageRef::Unlocked(edges) => Either::Right(
+            EdgesStorageRef::Unlocked(edges) => StorageVariants::Unlocked(
                 edges
                     .par_iter()
                     .filter(move |e| e.has_layer(&layers))
diff --git a/raphtory/src/db/api/storage/nodes/node_entry.rs b/raphtory/src/db/api/storage/nodes/node_entry.rs
index 2ab6debb08..a9a07639d8 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/db/api/storage/nodes/node_entry.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/db/api/storage/nodes/node_entry.rs
@@ -44,29 +44,6 @@ impl<'a> From<DiskNode<'a>> for NodeStorageEntry<'a> {
     }
 }
 
-#[cfg(feature = "storage")]
-macro_rules! for_all {
-    ($value:expr, $pattern:pat => $result:expr) => {
-        match $value {
-            NodeStorageEntry::Mem($pattern) => $result,
-            NodeStorageEntry::Unlocked($pattern) => $result,
-            #[cfg(feature = "storage")]
-            NodeStorageEntry::Disk($pattern) => $result,
-        }
-    };
-}
-
-#[cfg(feature = "storage")]
-macro_rules! for_all_iter {
-    ($value:expr, $pattern:pat => $result:expr) => {{
-        match $value {
-            NodeStorageEntry::Mem($pattern) => StorageVariants::Mem($result),
-            NodeStorageEntry::Unlocked($pattern) => StorageVariants::Unlocked($result),
-            NodeStorageEntry::Disk($pattern) => StorageVariants::Disk($result),
-        }
-    }};
-}
-
 impl<'a> NodeStorageEntry<'a> {
     #[inline]
     pub fn as_ref(&self) -> NodeStorageRef {
diff --git a/raphtory/src/db/graph/graph.rs b/raphtory/src/db/graph/graph.rs
index 14aad5c3b7..32dd8a89cd 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/db/graph/graph.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/db/graph/graph.rs
@@ -234,12 +234,8 @@ mod db_tests {
     use itertools::Itertools;
     use quickcheck_macros::quickcheck;
     use raphtory_api::core::storage::arc_str::{ArcStr, OptionAsStr};
-    use rayon::prelude::*;
     use serde_json::Value;
-    use std::{
-        collections::{HashMap, HashSet},
-        path::PathBuf,
-    };
+    use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
     use tempfile::TempDir;
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/raphtory/src/disk_graph/graph_impl/core_ops.rs b/raphtory/src/disk_graph/graph_impl/core_ops.rs
index 43750008ea..423f60d9ae 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/disk_graph/graph_impl/core_ops.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/disk_graph/graph_impl/core_ops.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use crate::{
     core::{
         entities::{
             edges::edge_ref::EdgeRef,
-            nodes::{input_node::InputNode, node_ref::NodeRef},
+            nodes::node_ref::NodeRef,
             properties::{graph_meta::GraphMeta, props::Meta, tprop::TProp},
             LayerIds, ELID, VID,
         },
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ use crate::{
 use itertools::Itertools;
 use polars_arrow::datatypes::ArrowDataType;
 use pometry_storage::{properties::ConstProps, GidRef, GID};
-use raphtory_api::core::storage::arc_str::ArcStr;
+use raphtory_api::core::{input::input_node::InputNode, storage::arc_str::ArcStr};
 use rayon::prelude::*;
 
 impl CoreGraphOps for DiskGraph {
diff --git a/raphtory/src/disk_graph/graph_impl/mod.rs b/raphtory/src/disk_graph/graph_impl/mod.rs
index e55615ef5e..28809998c2 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/disk_graph/graph_impl/mod.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/disk_graph/graph_impl/mod.rs
@@ -1,17 +1,3 @@
-use std::{
-    fmt::{Display, Formatter},
-    path::{Path, PathBuf},
-    sync::Arc,
-};
-
-use pometry_storage::{
-    disk_hmap::DiskHashMap, graph::TemporalGraph, graph_fragment::TempColGraphFragment,
-    load::ExternalEdgeList, RAError,
-};
-use raphtory_api::core::storage::timeindex::TimeIndexEntry;
-use rayon::prelude::*;
-use serde::{Deserialize, Deserializer, Serialize, Serializer};
-
 use crate::{
     arrow2::{
         array::{PrimitiveArray, StructArray},
@@ -32,6 +18,18 @@ use crate::{
     disk_graph::{graph_impl::prop_conversion::make_node_properties_from_graph, Error},
     prelude::{Graph, GraphViewOps},
 };
+use pometry_storage::{
+    disk_hmap::DiskHashMap, graph::TemporalGraph, graph_fragment::TempColGraphFragment,
+    load::ExternalEdgeList, RAError,
+};
+use raphtory_api::core::storage::timeindex::TimeIndexEntry;
+use rayon::prelude::*;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Deserializer, Serialize, Serializer};
+use std::{
+    fmt::{Display, Formatter},
+    path::{Path, PathBuf},
+    sync::Arc,
+};
 
 pub mod const_properties_ops;
 pub mod core_ops;
@@ -483,26 +481,21 @@ impl InternalPropertyAdditionOps for DiskGraph {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
-    use std::{
-        cmp::Reverse,
-        iter::once,
-        path::{Path, PathBuf},
+    use super::{DiskGraph, ParquetLayerCols};
+    use crate::{
+        algorithms::components::weakly_connected_components, db::api::view::StaticGraphViewOps,
+        disk_graph::Time, prelude::*,
     };
-
     use itertools::{chain, Itertools};
     use pometry_storage::{graph::TemporalGraph, properties::Properties};
     use proptest::{prelude::*, sample::size_range};
     use rayon::prelude::*;
-    use tempfile::TempDir;
-
-    use crate::{
-        algorithms::components::weakly_connected_components,
-        db::api::view::{internal::TimeSemantics, StaticGraphViewOps},
-        disk_graph::Time,
-        prelude::*,
+    use std::{
+        cmp::Reverse,
+        iter::once,
+        path::{Path, PathBuf},
     };
-
-    use super::{DiskGraph, ParquetLayerCols};
+    use tempfile::TempDir;
 
     fn make_simple_graph(graph_dir: impl AsRef<Path>, edges: &[(u64, u64, i64, f64)]) -> DiskGraph {
         DiskGraph::make_simple_graph(graph_dir, edges, 1000, 1000)
diff --git a/raphtory/src/disk_graph/storage_interface/node.rs b/raphtory/src/disk_graph/storage_interface/node.rs
index d083f2e73d..df16fec7c2 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/disk_graph/storage_interface/node.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/disk_graph/storage_interface/node.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use crate::{
     core::{
-        entities::{edges::edge_ref::EdgeRef, nodes::input_node::InputNode, LayerIds, EID, VID},
+        entities::{edges::edge_ref::EdgeRef, LayerIds, EID, VID},
         Direction,
     },
     db::api::{
@@ -9,11 +9,12 @@ use crate::{
             tprop_storage_ops::TPropOps,
             variants::{direction_variants::DirectionVariants, layer_variants::LayerVariants},
         },
-        view::internal::{CoreGraphOps, NodeAdditions},
+        view::internal::NodeAdditions,
     },
 };
 use itertools::Itertools;
 use pometry_storage::{graph::TemporalGraph, timestamps::TimeStamps, GidRef};
+use raphtory_api::core::input::input_node::InputNode;
 use rayon::iter::{IndexedParallelIterator, IntoParallelRefIterator, ParallelIterator};
 use std::{borrow::Cow, iter, sync::Arc};
 
diff --git a/raphtory/src/graph_loader/mod.rs b/raphtory/src/graph_loader/mod.rs
index 82db95bed3..409c37518c 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/graph_loader/mod.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/graph_loader/mod.rs
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ fn unzip_file(zip_file_path: &str, destination_path: &str) -> std::io::Result<()
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod graph_loader_test {
-    use crate::{core::utils::hashing, graph_loader::fetch_file, prelude::*};
+    use crate::{graph_loader::fetch_file, prelude::*};
     use csv::StringRecord;
 
     #[test]
@@ -223,8 +223,8 @@ mod graph_loader_test {
         if let Ok(mut reader) = csv::Reader::from_path(data_dir) {
             for rec in reader.records().flatten() {
                 if let Some((src, dst, t)) = parse_record(&rec) {
-                    let src_id = hashing::calculate_hash(&src);
-                    let dst_id = hashing::calculate_hash(&dst);
+                    let src_id = src.id();
+                    let dst_id = dst.id();
 
                     g.add_node(t, src_id, [("name", Prop::str("Character"))], None)
                         .unwrap();
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ mod graph_loader_test {
             }
         }
 
-        let gandalf = hashing::calculate_hash(&"Gandalf");
+        let gandalf = "Gandalf".id();
         assert!(g.has_node(gandalf));
         assert!(g.has_node("Gandalf"))
     }
diff --git a/raphtory/src/io/csv_loader.rs b/raphtory/src/io/csv_loader.rs
index 3b6fcbff1d..1baa0fdd1a 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/io/csv_loader.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/io/csv_loader.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 //! ```no_run
 //! use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 //! use regex::Regex;
-//! use raphtory::core::utils::hashing::calculate_hash;
 //! use raphtory::io::csv_loader::CsvLoader;
 //! use raphtory::graph_loader::lotr_graph::Lotr;
 //! use raphtory::prelude::*;
@@ -25,8 +24,8 @@
 //!      .set_delimiter(delimiter)
 //!      .with_filter(r)
 //!      .load_into_graph(&g, |lotr: Lotr, g: &Graph| {
-//!          let src_id = calculate_hash(&lotr.src_id);
-//!          let dst_id = calculate_hash(&lotr.dst_id);
+//!          let src_id = lotr.src_id.id();
+//!          let dst_id = lotr.dst_id.id();
 //!          let time = lotr.time;
 //!
 //!          g.add_node(
@@ -474,7 +473,7 @@ impl CsvLoader {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod csv_loader_test {
-    use crate::{core::utils::hashing::calculate_hash, io::csv_loader::CsvLoader, prelude::*};
+    use crate::{io::csv_loader::CsvLoader, prelude::*};
     use csv::StringRecord;
     use regex::Regex;
     use serde::Deserialize;
@@ -515,8 +514,8 @@ mod csv_loader_test {
             .set_delimiter(delimiter)
             .with_filter(r)
             .load_into_graph(&g, |lotr: Lotr, g: &Graph| {
-                let src_id = calculate_hash(&lotr.src_id);
-                let dst_id = calculate_hash(&lotr.dst_id);
+                let src_id = lotr.src_id.id();
+                let dst_id = lotr.dst_id.id();
                 let time = lotr.time;
 
                 g.add_node(time, src_id, [("name", Prop::str("Character"))], None)
@@ -543,14 +542,8 @@ mod csv_loader_test {
             .set_delimiter(delimiter)
             .with_filter(r)
             .load_rec_into_graph(&g, |lotr: StringRecord, g: &Graph| {
-                let src_id = lotr
-                    .get(0)
-                    .map(|s| calculate_hash(&(s.to_owned())))
-                    .unwrap();
-                let dst_id = lotr
-                    .get(1)
-                    .map(|s| calculate_hash(&(s.to_owned())))
-                    .unwrap();
+                let src_id = lotr.get(0).map(|s| s.id()).unwrap();
+                let dst_id = lotr.get(1).map(|s| s.id()).unwrap();
                 let time = lotr.get(2).map(|s| s.parse::<i64>().unwrap()).unwrap();
 
                 g.add_node(time, src_id, [("name", Prop::str("Character"))], None)
diff --git a/raphtory/src/lib.rs b/raphtory/src/lib.rs
index 3f43a5a01e..1121df1def 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/lib.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/lib.rs
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ pub mod prelude {
             graph::graph::Graph,
         },
     };
+    pub use raphtory_api::core::input::input_node::InputNode;
 }
 
 pub const BINCODE_VERSION: u32 = 1u32;
diff --git a/raphtory/src/python/utils/mod.rs b/raphtory/src/python/utils/mod.rs
index 40609a2b93..7da4755e6c 100644
--- a/raphtory/src/python/utils/mod.rs
+++ b/raphtory/src/python/utils/mod.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 //! These functions are not part of the public API and are not exported to the Python module.
 use crate::{
     core::{
-        entities::nodes::{input_node::InputNode, node_ref::NodeRef},
+        entities::nodes::node_ref::NodeRef,
         storage::timeindex::AsTime,
         utils::time::{error::ParseTimeError, Interval, IntoTime, TryIntoTime},
     },
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ use crate::{
 };
 use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
 use pyo3::{exceptions::PyTypeError, prelude::*, types::PyDateTime};
+use raphtory_api::core::input::input_node::InputNode;
 use std::{future::Future, thread};
 
 pub mod errors;