IPv6
What this is
IPv6 allows eliding runs of zeros with ::, zone ids, and embedded IPv4. A single regex that accepts every valid address and rejects every invalid one is a research paper. Use a parser for validation; use regex for coarse highlighting.
/\b(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}:){2,7}[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4}\b/g2001:db8::1 is compressed and this simplified pattern may miss it. 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
FAQ
- ::1
- Loopback often fails simplified patterns. Handle :: specially or use a library.