Regex Tester

Test and debug regular expressions in real-time. Live match highlighting, capture groups, substitution preview, and pattern explanation. 100% client-side — nothing leaves your browser.

Flags:
Pattern
/ / g
Test String
Replace
Result
.*
Enter a pattern and test string to see matches
?:
Enter a pattern to see its explanation
Ready
0 matches 0ms

How to use the regex tester

Testing regular expressions doesn't need to be painful. Three steps and you're matching.

01

Enter your pattern

Type your regex in the pattern field. The tester validates it in real-time and shows whether the pattern is valid or has syntax errors. No need to press "run."

02

Set your flags

Toggle flags like global (g), case-insensitive (i), or multiline (m) using the buttons in the toolbar. The flags are reflected in the pattern display instantly.

03

Paste your test string

All matches highlight in the test string as you type. The Matches tab shows full match details — capture groups, named groups, and index positions for every hit.

04

Use replace mode

Click "Replace" to enable substitution. Enter a replacement string using $1, $2, $& backreferences and see the transformed result update live below the test area.

Common regex patterns every developer should know

These patterns cover 90% of everyday regex tasks. Click "Library" in the toolbar to load any of them instantly.

@

Email validation

Match email addresses with [a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}. Covers standard formats without being overly strict — perfect for form validation.

//

URL matching

Extract URLs with https?://[^\s/$.?#].[^\s]*. Handles http and https, query strings, fragments, and paths. Use capture groups to extract components.

#

IP address

Validate IPv4 with \b\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\b. For strict validation (0-255 per octet), use alternation with ranges: (25[0-5]|2[0-4]\d|[01]?\d\d?).

</>

HTML tags

Match opening tags with <([a-z][a-z0-9]*)\b[^>]*>. Group 1 captures the tag name. Remember: for complex HTML parsing, use a proper parser — regex is fine for quick extraction.

$

Numbers & currency

Match currency like \$[\d,]+\.?\d* or any decimal with -?\d+\.?\d*. Capture groups let you separate dollars from cents: \$(\d+)\.(\d{2}).

📅

Date formats

Match ISO dates with \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} or US dates with \d{1,2}/\d{1,2}/\d{2,4}. Named groups make extraction clean: (?<year>\d{4})-(?<month>\d{2})-(?<day>\d{2}).

Frequently asked questions

What regex engine does this tester use?

This tester uses JavaScript's native RegExp engine, which is ECMAScript-compliant. This is the same engine used in all major browsers and Node.js. If your regex works here, it works in JavaScript.

What are capture groups and how do I use them?

Capture groups are created with parentheses (). They extract parts of a match. For example, (\d{4})-(\d{2})-(\d{2}) on "2024-01-15" gives Group 1: "2024", Group 2: "01", Group 3: "15". Named groups use (?<name>...) syntax for readability.

What do the different flags do?

g (global) finds all matches instead of just the first. i ignores case. m makes ^ and $ match line boundaries, not just string boundaries. s makes . match newlines too. u enables Unicode support. y (sticky) matches only at the lastIndex position.

How does substitution work?

Click "Replace" in the toolbar, then enter a replacement string. Use $1, $2 etc. for numbered group backreferences, $& for the full match, $` for text before the match, and $' for text after. Named groups use $<name>.

Is my data safe?

Completely. This tool runs 100% in your browser using JavaScript. No data is sent to any server. Your patterns and test strings are never stored, logged, or transmitted anywhere. Check the network tab in DevTools if you want proof.

Why does my regex work differently in Python/PHP/Java?

Different regex engines have different features and syntax. JavaScript doesn't support lookbehinds in older browsers, possessive quantifiers, or atomic groups. This tester uses JavaScript's engine specifically. For other engines, check engine-specific documentation.

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