URL testing

SHOULD MATCH:
http://foo.com/blah_blah
http://foo.com/blah_blah/
http://foo.com/blah_blah_(wikipedia)
http://foo.com/blah_blah_(wikipedia)_(again)
http://www.example.com/wpstyle/?p=364
https://www.example.com/foo/?bar=baz&inga=42&quux
http://✪df.ws/123
http://userid:[email protected]:8080
http://userid:[email protected]:8080/
http://[email protected]
http://[email protected]/
http://[email protected]:8080
http://[email protected]:8080/
http://userid:[email protected]
http://userid:[email protected]/
http://142.42.1.1/
http://142.42.1.1:8080/
http://➡.ws/䨹
http://⌘.ws
http://⌘.ws/
http://foo.com/blah_(wikipedia)#cite-1
http://foo.com/blah_(wikipedia)_blah#cite-1
http://foo.com/unicode_(✪)_in_parens
http://foo.com/(something)?after=parens
http://☺.damowmow.com/
http://code.google.com/events/#&product=browser
http://j.mp
ftp://foo.bar/baz
http://foo.bar/?q=Test%20URL-encoded%20stuff
http://مثال.إختبار
http://例子.测试
http://उदाहरण.परीक्षा
http://-.~_!$&'()*+,;=:%40:80%2f::::::@example.com
http://1337.net
http://a.b-c.de
http://223.255.255.254


SHOULD NOT MATCH:
http:// 
http://.
http://..
http://../
http://?
http://??
http://??/
http://#
http://##
http://##/
http://foo.bar?q=Spaces should be encoded
//
//a
///a
///
http:///a
foo.com
rdar://1234
h://test
http:// shouldfail.com
:// should fail
http://foo.bar/foo(bar)baz quux
ftps://foo.bar/
http://-error-.invalid/
http://a.b--c.de/
http://-a.b.co
http://a.b-.co
http://0.0.0.0
http://10.1.1.0
http://10.1.1.255
http://224.1.1.1
http://1.1.1.1.1
http://123.123.123
http://3628126748
http://.www.foo.bar/
http://www.foo.bar./
http://.www.foo.bar./
http://10.1.1.1
http://10.1.1.254

I got this list (as as way to keep it accessible) from here, apparently somebody else posted it as a gist on here (with a lengthy discussion). I think you are right about the 2nd one (although http://ab--c.de wouldn't be a valid url) but wrong about the first one (what's wrong with that one?). Anyway, better check those links because I believe they've kept updating and discussing this list.

The first one ( http://223.255.255.254 ) is actually valid. Although nobody responds because there isn't a server there.

The reason it's valid is because it is a valid routable IP address. The 255 number only means a broadcast address if it is located at the last position in the address. (This varies, of course, depending on your netmask).

Why should ftps://foo.bar/ fail ?