Hibernate Validator is the reference implementation for JSR 380 - Bean Validation 2.0
Hibernate Validator is the reference implementation for JSR 380 - Bean Validation 2.0 which defines an API and model for JavaBean validation. Validation metadata is provided via annotations. The metadata can be overridden and extended through the use of XML.
The API is not bound to any specific application tier or programming model/paradigm. It available for server-side validation (for a web application for example) as well for client-side apps (for example, those written in Swing).
To get started with Hibernate Validator visit the Getting started page.