How to check UUID validity in Python?

I have a string that should be a UUID. Is there any built-in Python function available to check whether the UUID is valid or not, and to check its version?

I found this question while I was looking for a Python answer. To help people in the same situation, I've added the Python solution.

You can use the uuid module:

#!/usr/bin/env python

from uuid import UUID

def is_valid_uuid(uuid_to_test, version=4):
    """
    Check if uuid_to_test is a valid UUID.
    
     Parameters
    ----------
    uuid_to_test : str
    version : {1, 2, 3, 4}
    
     Returns
    -------
    `True` if uuid_to_test is a valid UUID, otherwise `False`.
    
     Examples
    --------
    >>> is_valid_uuid('c9bf9e57-1685-4c89-bafb-ff5af830be8a')
    True
    >>> is_valid_uuid('c9bf9e58')
    False
    """
    
    try:
        uuid_obj = UUID(uuid_to_test, version=version)
    except ValueError:
        return False
    return str(uuid_obj) == uuid_to_test


if __name__ == '__main__':
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()