Python Package Version (PEP 440) Regex for PHP

What this pattern does

This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching python package version (pep 440), 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
// Python Package Version (PEP 440)
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Dev & Systems > SemVer

define('PYTHON_PACKAGE_VERSION_PEP_440_PATTERN', '/^(?:([0-9]+)!)?([0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)*)(?:[-_.]?(?:a|alpha|b|beta|c|rc|preview)[-_.]?([0-9]+))?(?:[-_.]?post[-_.]?([0-9]+))?(?:[-_.]?dev[-_.]?([0-9]+))?(?:\+([a-zA-Z0-9]+(?:[-_.][a-zA-Z0-9]+)*))?$/');

function validate_python_package_version_pep_440(string $input): bool {
    return (bool) preg_match(PYTHON_PACKAGE_VERSION_PEP_440_PATTERN, $input);
}

// Example
var_dump(validate_python_package_version_pep_440("1.0")); // 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

PEP 440 allows epoch (1!), pre-release suffixes (a/alpha/b/beta/rc), post-releases (.post1), dev releases (.dev1), and local version labels (+local). Use packaging.version.Version() in Python for canonical parsing.