Common Regex Patterns | Quick Reference

Regex can look intimidating, but a few patterns cover most use cases. Here’s a quick reference for common patterns. You can test any pattern in the Regex Tester tool.

Common Patterns

• Email — ^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$ (basic)
• URL — https?://[^\s]+
• Digits only — ^\d+$
• Alphanumeric — ^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$
• Whitespace — \s+
• Match word — \bword\b

Useful Metacharacters

• \d — digit
• \w — word character
• \s — whitespace
• * — zero or more
• + — one or more
• ? — zero or one

Tips

Test your regex with sample input. Use the Regex Tester to iterate quickly. Start simple and add complexity as needed.

Summary

Keep a few patterns handy for validation and search. Try them in the Regex Tester—regex is a powerful tool, use it wisely.