text: // constants and functions that all microservices utilize
  const admin = require('firebase-admin');
  admin.initializeApp();
  const uuidv4 = require('uuid/v4');
  
  /**
   * get the current time (UTC)
   */
  function now() {
      return new Date().toISOString().replace(/\..+/, '');
  }
  
  /**
   * get a shortened uuid (v4)
   */
  function getShortUid() {
      let x = uuidv4();
      x = x.substr(0, 6);
      return x;
  }
  
  module.exports.now = now;
  module.exports.getUid = getShortUid;
  