diff --git a/compute_endpoint/globus_compute_endpoint/engines/high_throughput/engine.py b/compute_endpoint/globus_compute_endpoint/engines/high_throughput/engine.py
index f78999475..2a5412e92 100644
--- a/compute_endpoint/globus_compute_endpoint/engines/high_throughput/engine.py
+++ b/compute_endpoint/globus_compute_endpoint/engines/high_throughput/engine.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import multiprocessing
 import os
 import queue
+import socket
 import threading
 import time
 import typing as t
@@ -243,7 +244,7 @@ def __init__(
         # Tuning info
         prefetch_capacity=10,
         provider=LocalProvider(),
-        address="localhost",
+        address="127.0.0.1",
         worker_ports=None,
         worker_port_range=(54000, 55000),
         interchange_port_range=(55000, 56000),
@@ -299,17 +300,14 @@ def __init__(
         self.endpoint_id = endpoint_id
         self._task_counter = 0
 
-        try:
-            # if address != "localhost":
-            # 'localhost'  works for both v4 and v6 in some circumstances
-            # where an actual numeric IP isn't required
-            ipaddress.ip_address(address=address)
-        except Exception:
-            log.critical(
-                f"Invalid address supplied: {address}. "
-                "Please use a valid IPv4 or IPv6 address"
+        if not HighThroughputEngine.is_hostname_or_ip(address):
+            err_msg = (
+                f"Invalid address supplied: ({address}) "
+                "Please use a valid hostname or IPv4/IPv6 address"
             )
-            raise
+            log.critical(err_msg)
+            raise ValueError(err_msg)
+
         self.address = address
         self.worker_ports = worker_ports
         self.worker_port_range = worker_port_range
@@ -422,6 +420,28 @@ def start(
 
         return self.outgoing_q.port, self.incoming_q.port, self.command_client.port
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def is_hostname_or_ip(hostname_or_ip: str) -> bool:
+        """
+        Utility method to verify that the input is a valid hostname or
+        IP address.   This is potentially useful elsewhere, if used,
+        should we move it to another module?
+        """
+        if not hostname_or_ip:
+            return False
+        else:
+            try:
+                socket.gethostbyname(hostname_or_ip)
+                return True
+            except socket.gaierror:
+                # Not a hostname, now check IP
+                pass
+            try:
+                ipaddress.ip_address(address=hostname_or_ip)
+            except ValueError:
+                return False
+        return True
+
     def _start_local_interchange_process(self):
         """Starts the interchange process locally
 
diff --git a/compute_endpoint/globus_compute_endpoint/engines/high_throughput/zmq_pipes.py b/compute_endpoint/globus_compute_endpoint/engines/high_throughput/zmq_pipes.py
index 6557c7126..31b09c7ba 100644
--- a/compute_endpoint/globus_compute_endpoint/engines/high_throughput/zmq_pipes.py
+++ b/compute_endpoint/globus_compute_endpoint/engines/high_throughput/zmq_pipes.py
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import ipaddress
 import logging
 import time
 
@@ -10,11 +13,22 @@
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
-def remap_ipv6_loopback(ip_address):
-    # Special case for being compatible with ipv4 and v6
-    if ip_address == "::1":
-        ip_address = "localhost"
-    return f"tcp://{ip_address}"
+def _zmq_canonicalize_address(addr: str | int) -> str:
+    try:
+        ip = ipaddress.ip_address(addr)
+    except ValueError:
+        # Not a valid IPv4 or IPv6 address
+        if isinstance(addr, int):
+            # If it was an integer, then it's just plain invalid
+            raise
+
+        # Otherwise, it was likely a hostname; let another layer deal with it
+        return addr
+
+    if ip.version == 4:
+        return str(ip)  # like "12.34.56.78"
+    elif ip.version == 6:
+        return f"[{ip}]"  # like "[::1]"
 
 
 class CommandClient:
@@ -36,7 +50,7 @@ def __init__(self, ip_address, port_range):
         self.zmq_socket = self.context.socket(zmq.DEALER)
         self.zmq_socket.set_hwm(0)
         self.port = self.zmq_socket.bind_to_random_port(
-            remap_ipv6_loopback(ip_address),
+            f"tcp://{_zmq_canonicalize_address(ip_address)}",
             min_port=port_range[0],
             max_port=port_range[1],
         )
@@ -78,7 +92,7 @@ def __init__(self, ip_address, port_range):
         self.zmq_socket.set_hwm(0)
 
         self.port = self.zmq_socket.bind_to_random_port(
-            remap_ipv6_loopback(ip_address),
+            f"tcp://{_zmq_canonicalize_address(ip_address)}",
             min_port=port_range[0],
             max_port=port_range[1],
         )
@@ -153,7 +167,7 @@ def __init__(self, ip_address, port_range):
         self.results_receiver = self.context.socket(zmq.DEALER)
         self.results_receiver.set_hwm(0)
         self.port = self.results_receiver.bind_to_random_port(
-            remap_ipv6_loopback(ip_address),
+            f"tcp://{_zmq_canonicalize_address(ip_address)}",
             min_port=port_range[0],
             max_port=port_range[1],
         )
diff --git a/compute_endpoint/tests/unit/test_engines.py b/compute_endpoint/tests/unit/test_engines.py
index 6f42c7b72..b6e443eb9 100644
--- a/compute_endpoint/tests/unit/test_engines.py
+++ b/compute_endpoint/tests/unit/test_engines.py
@@ -395,3 +395,24 @@ def test_gcmpiengine_accepts_resource_specification(task_uuid, randomstring):
 
     a, _k = engine.executor.submit.call_args
     assert spec in a
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("input", "is_valid"),
+    (
+        [None, False],
+        ["", False],
+        ["localhost.localhost", False],
+        ["localhost", True],
+        ["1.2.3.4.5", False],
+        ["127.0.0.1", True],
+        ["example.com", True],
+        ["0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1", True],
+        ["11111:0:0:0:0:0:0:1", False],
+        ["::1", True],
+        ["abc", False],
+    ),
+)
+def test_hostname_or_ip_validation(input, is_valid):
+    result = HighThroughputEngine.is_hostname_or_ip(input)
+    assert is_valid == result