IPv6 Full (Expanded + Compressed) Regex for Java

What this pattern does

This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching ipv6 full (expanded + compressed), ported and verified for Java. A rigorously tested regex reduces debugging time and protects your application from edge-case failures. The snippet below is ready to drop into your Java project — whether you're validating in a Spring Boot controller, a Jakarta EE service, or a standalone utility class.

Java Implementation

// IPv6 Full (Expanded + Compressed)
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Web & Network > IPv6

import java.util.regex.Pattern;

public class Ipv6FullExpandedCompressedValidator {
    private static final Pattern PATTERN =
        Pattern.compile("^(([0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:){7}[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}|([0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:){1,7}:|([0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:){1,6}:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}|([0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:){1,5}(:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}){1,2}|([0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:){1,4}(:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}){1,3}|([0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:){1,3}(:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}){1,4}|([0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:){1,2}(:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}){1,5}|[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:(:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}){1,6}|:(:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}){1,7}|::)$");

    public static boolean validate(String input) {
        return PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
    }

    // Example
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(validate("2001:db8::1")); // true
    }
}

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Web & Network > IPv6 category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for Java developers because critical in Java applications since the JVM regex engine uses backtracking and is susceptible to ReDoS without careful pattern design. 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

Each alternation handles a specific number of groups before/after ::. The :: can appear at most once (enforced by alternation structure, not lookahead). Go's RE2 may have issues with alternation of this complexity — use net.ParseIP() in Go instead.