DevToolKit

Regex Tester | Regular Expression Tester - DevToolKit

Free online regex tester. Test regular expressions against sample text with real-time match highlighting. Supports JavaScript regex syntax.

//g

Common Regex Patterns

What is Regex Tester?

Regex Tester is a free online tool for testing JavaScript regular expressions. Regular expressions (regex) are patterns used to match character combinations in strings. This tool provides real-time match highlighting, capture group display, and flag toggles, making it easy to build and debug regex patterns.

How to Use Regex Tester

Enter your regular expression in the regex input field. Toggle flags (g, i, m, s) as needed. Type or paste your test string in the text area below. Matches are highlighted in real time. The match results section shows each match with its index, captured groups, and total match count.

How Regex Tester Works

The tool creates a JavaScript RegExp object from your pattern and selected flags. It then executes the regex against your test string using matchAll (with the global flag) or match. Each match is highlighted in the test string by wrapping matched text in styled spans. Capture groups are extracted and displayed separately for each match.

Common Use Cases

  • Building and testing regex patterns for form validation
  • Debugging regular expressions used in JavaScript code
  • Extracting data from log files or structured text
  • Learning regex syntax with instant visual feedback
  • Testing patterns for search-and-replace operations

Frequently Asked Questions

What regex syntax does this tool support?

This tool supports JavaScript (ECMAScript) regular expression syntax, including character classes, quantifiers, groups, lookaheads, lookbehinds, and named capture groups.

What do the regex flags mean?

g (global) finds all matches, i (case-insensitive) ignores case, m (multiline) makes ^ and $ match line boundaries, and s (dotAll) makes . match newline characters.

Why does my regex work differently here than in Python/Java?

Different programming languages have slightly different regex engines. This tool uses JavaScript regex syntax. Some features like possessive quantifiers or atomic groups are not available in JavaScript.

Is my test data sent to a server?

No. All regex testing happens in your browser using the native JavaScript RegExp engine. No data leaves your machine.

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