Gradle / Kotlin Version Regex for PHP

What this pattern does

This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching gradle / kotlin version, ported and verified for PHP. A rigorously tested regex reduces debugging time and protects your application from edge-case failures. The snippet below is ready to drop into your PHP project — whether you're validating in a Laravel validator, a WordPress plugin, or a standalone PHP script.

Php Implementation

<?php
// Gradle / Kotlin Version
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Dev & Systems > SemVer

define('GRADLE_KOTLIN_VERSION_PATTERN', '/^([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)(?:\.([0-9]+))?(?:[.\-]([a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9.\-]*[a-zA-Z0-9]|[a-zA-Z0-9]))?$/');

function validate_gradle_kotlin_version(string $input): bool {
    return (bool) preg_match(GRADLE_KOTLIN_VERSION_PATTERN, $input);
}

// Example
var_dump(validate_gradle_kotlin_version("7.0")); // bool(true)

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Dev & Systems > SemVer category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for PHP developers because especially relevant in PHP where PCRE backtracking limits can trigger silent failures on malicious input. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

Gradle and Kotlin version strings often include qualifiers like -rc-1, -Beta, -M1 (milestone), -RELEASE, or -SNAPSHOT. The pattern is permissive on the qualifier to accommodate the wide variety of conventions.