Validate any URL with a regex
Pick a strict http(s) or any-scheme pattern, then validate a single URL or a whole list at once. Runs locally.
/^https?:\/\/(?:[\w-]+\.)+[\w-]{2,}(?::\d+)?(?:\/[^\s]*)?$/How to validate a URL
Pick http(s) for web URLs or Any-scheme for FTP, SSH, mailto, custom schemes.
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Pick a flavour
http(s) is the common case. Any-scheme catches FTP, SSH, mailto, etc.
Patterns compile through the JavaScript RegExp constructor, so syntax errors surface immediately and engine quirks like Unicode property escapes (\p{L}) work when the u flag is on.
patternECMAScriptliteralliveinput · literalpattern · regexhttp/https | Any schemeloaded · ECMAScriptPCRE · ready - 02
Type or paste
Single mode for one URL, batch for one-per-line.
Each flag character mirrors the ECMAScript literal: g enables iteration, i folds case, m anchors per line, s lets . match newlines, u unlocks proper Unicode, y is sticky, and d emits indices.
flagsoptionsg · i · mliveconfig · optionsmode · flagshttps://example.comflags applied · liveECMA · live - 03
Read the verdict
Pass/fail per row with the active pattern shown beside.
Watch for catastrophic backtracking on nested quantifiers — a common ReDoS source. The tool caps match counts to keep the page responsive on pathological patterns.
matchgroupshighlightReDoS-saferun · outputresult · matchesok https://example.commatches · livegroups · live - 04
Copy or export
Grab the output as JSON, CSV, or plain text — ready for your editor or pipeline.
Copy writes via navigator.clipboard.writeText; downloads use a Blob and object URL, so nothing transits the network and the output is byte-identical to what you see on screen.
copyexportclipboardblobexport · exportedready · savedCopiedready to shipsuccess
Regex patterns that don't melt down
Use named groups
(?<year>\d{4}) reads better than $1 and survives reordering. Supported in ECMAScript 2018+.
Anchor strictly
Use ^/$ with the m flag when matching whole lines. Without anchors, partial matches sneak through.
Avoid catastrophic backtracking
Nested quantifiers like (a+)+ can explode. Run patterns through ReDoS Detector first.
Escape every literal
Backslash any meta character you want literally: \.\$\^\*\+\?\(\)\[\]\{\}\|\\.
Test edge cases
Empty string, single character, unicode, the maximum length you expect — write fixtures for each.
Patterns aren’t parsers
Don’t parse HTML, JSON, or balanced parens with regex. Use a proper parser when the grammar is recursive.
When to validate URLs
Form input, list audits, redirect safety.
Signup forms
Block typos in profile URL fields. Compiles through the JavaScript RegExp constructor — engine quirks (Unicode property escapes, sticky matching, named groups) work when their flags are on. Error messages cite the exact position of any syntax issue.
ReDoS-safeBulk audit
Sanity-check a list of customer-supplied URLs. Pairs with the ReDoS detector to catch catastrophic backtracking before you deploy. A pattern that handles 1k-character input fine can become a denial-of-service vector on attacker-controlled 1M-character input.
ECMA-compliantRedirect safety
Reject malformed redirects at the edge. Output exports as JavaScript, Python re, Java util.regex, .NET System.Text.RegularExpressions, PCRE, and POSIX — language quirks are highlighted on conversion so you don't ship a JS-only pattern to a Go service.
spec-gradeAPI request bodies
Validate a URL field before storing. Capture groups (named or numbered) round-trip cleanly into replacement strings, JSON output, or CSV extraction without re-typing. Backreferences ($1, ${name}) preserve semantics across languages.
cross-engineSitemap inputs
Confirm a paste list parses as URLs. Test against edge cases — empty input, single character, max length, multibyte boundaries — to catch off-by-one and zero-length match bugs before they reach production.
test-readyDocumentation
Catch dead links during PR review. All matching runs client-side so secret patterns never leave the browser. Useful when the pattern itself is sensitive (PII regexes, internal data formats, security filters).
production-readyFrequently asked questions
Something missing?
Tell us what you need. We ship the top requests every two weeks.