Introduction

Validating Social Security Numbers (SSNs) in Python is essential for applications handling personal identification data. Python's re module can be used for regex-based SSN validation. A common regex pattern for SSN validation is ^\\d{3}-\\d{2}-\\d{4}$.

What is SSN Regex?

The regex pattern for an SSN checks for the standard format: three digits, a hyphen, two digits, another hyphen, and four digits.

The SSN Regex Pattern

• Pattern: ^\\d{3}-\\d{2}-\\d{4}$

• This pattern matches SSNs in the format "XXX-XX-XXXX".

How to Validate SSNs in Python?

To validate SSNs using regex in Python:

import re
def is_valid_ssn(ssn):
    ssn_regex = re.compile(r'^\d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}$')
    return bool(ssn_regex.match(ssn))
test_ssn = "123-45-6789"
print(f"Is '{test_ssn}' a valid SSN? {is_valid_ssn(test_ssn)}")

Uses of SSN Regex Validation

1. Data Verification: Ensuring SSNs are correctly formatted in forms and databases.

2. Compliance: Adhering to data standards and regulations in applications handling personal data.

Conclusion

Python’s regex capabilities effectively validate SSNs, ensuring adherence to the standard format. For more extensive validation scenarios, including various formatting styles, Akto's regex validator can be an essential tool.