ISBN-13 Validation Regex

Validate ISBN-13 book identification numbers starting with 978 or 979 with optional formatting using regex pattern.

Pattern Breakdown

^(?:ISBN(?:-13)?:? )?(?=[0-9]{13}$|(?=(?:[0-9]+[- ]){4})[- 0-9]{17}$)97[89][- ]?[0-9]{1,5}[- ]?[0-9]+[- ]?[0-9]+[- ]?[0-9]$

Components

Examples

Valid:

• 978-0-306-40615-7
• 9780306406157
• ISBN 978-0-306-40615-7
• 979-0-306-40615-7

Invalid:

• 977-0-306-40615-7 (wrong prefix)
• 978-0-306-40615 (missing check digit)
• 978-0-306-40615-78 (too many digits)

Implementation

JavaScript

const isbn13Regex = /^(?:ISBN(?:-13)?:? )?(?=[0-9]{13}$|(?=(?:[0-9]+[- ]){4})[- 0-9]{17}$)97[89][- ]?[0-9]{1,5}[- ]?[0-9]+[- ]?[0-9]+[- ]?[0-9]$/;
isbn13Regex.test('978-0-306-40615-7'); // true
isbn13Regex.test('9780306406157'); // true
isbn13Regex.test('979-0-306-40615-7'); // true

Python

import re
isbn13_regex = r'^(?:ISBN(?:-13)?:? )?(?=[0-9]{13}$|(?=(?:[0-9]+[- ]){4})[- 0-9]{17}$)97[89][- ]?[0-9]{1,5}[- ]?[0-9]+[- ]?[0-9]+[- ]?[0-9]$'
bool(re.match(isbn13_regex, '978-0-306-40615-7'))  # True

Go

isbn13Regex := regexp.MustCompile(`^(?:ISBN(?:-13)?:? )?(?=[0-9]{13}$|(?=(?:[0-9]+[- ]){4})[- 0-9]{17}$)97[89][- ]?[0-9]{1,5}[- ]?[0-9]+[- ]?[0-9]+[- ]?[0-9]$`)
isbn13Regex.MatchString("978-0-306-40615-7") // true

Limitations

1. No checksum validation: Doesn't validate check digit algorithm
2. Complex pattern: Hard to read and maintain
3. Format only: Validates format, not actual ISBN validity

When to Use

• ISBN-13 format validation
• Book catalog systems
• Library management
• When you need ISBN format checking

For production, consider:

• Implementing checksum validation
• Using ISBN parsing libraries
• Supporting both ISBN-10 and ISBN-13
• Normalizing to standard format