UUID Validator
How do we validate UUID?
Think of a UUID as a special kind of code that needs to follow certain rules to be considered valid.
Checking the Shape
Imagine a UUID as a puzzle that needs to fit exactly into a specific shape. This shape is a series of numbers and letters separated by dashes, like this: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx. Each x can be any number from 0 to 9 or a letter from a to f.
Version and Variant:
- Version: This part of the UUID tells us how it was made. There are different methods to create a UUID, and the version number (a number from 1 to 5) gives us this information.
- Variant: This part tells us the specific layout or format the UUID should follow. Most of the time, we want it to + match a common layout called RFC 4122.
Right Characters
Every character in the UUID (except for the dashes) should be a number (0-9) or a letter from a to f. This is because UUIDs are written in hexadecimal, which is a way of representing numbers.
Just the Right Length
A valid UUID should always be 36 characters long, counting the dashes.
Special UUIDs
Sometimes you might see a UUID that is all zeros. This is a special case and is usually allowed.
Easy Examples
Good UUID: 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000 - This one follows all the rules. Bad UUID (too short): 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-42661417400 - Oops, it's missing some characters. Bad UUID (wrong letter): 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-42661417400z - There's no 'z' in hexadecimal.