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RegExr VS rubular

Compare RegExr VS rubular and see what are their differences

RegExr logo RegExr

RegExr.com is an online tool to learn, build, and test Regular Expressions.

rubular logo rubular

A ruby based regular expression editor
  • RegExr Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-28
  • rubular Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19

RegExr features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    RegExr offers an intuitive and visually appealing interface that makes it easy for users to write, test, and understand regular expressions.
  • Real-time Feedback
    Changes to the regular expression and input text are reflected immediately, allowing users to see the effects of their adjustments in real-time.
  • Built-in Cheatsheet
    RegExr includes a handy cheatsheet that provides quick access to common regex patterns and syntax, making it easier for users to learn and reference rules.
  • Community Examples
    Users can explore and share community-generated regex patterns, which can serve as valuable examples or starting points for creating their own regex.
  • Detailed Explanation
    Each part of the regex pattern can be hovered over to display detailed tooltips explaining its function, aiding in the understanding of complex expressions.
  • Cross-Platform Accessibility
    As a web-based tool, RegExr can be accessed from any modern browser without the need for installation, making it convenient to use on multiple devices.

Possible disadvantages of RegExr

  • Limited Offline Use
    Since RegExr is a web-based application, it requires an internet connection, limiting its utility for users who need to work offline.
  • Learning Curve
    While the tool is user-friendly, users still need to have a foundational understanding of regular expressions to use RegExr effectively.
  • Performance Issues
    For extremely large inputs or very complex regular expressions, the tool may experience performance lags or slowdowns.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    RegExr may lack some advanced features found in more specialized or professional regex tools, such as integration with development environments or extensive scripting capabilities.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Users inputting sensitive data need to be cautious, as the web-based nature of the tool could raise privacy or data security concerns.

rubular features and specs

  • Immediate Feedback
    Rubular provides instantaneous feedback on your regex patterns, making it easier to see if your regular expressions are correct and behaving as expected.
  • Simple Interface
    The website has a straightforward and easy-to-use interface that allows users to paste text and immediately test their regex.
  • Ruby-Based
    Rubular utilizes Ruby for regex testing, which is beneficial for Ruby developers who want to ensure their regex works correctly in that specific language context.
  • Offline Syntax Help
    The site offers a built-in regex syntax help section, which can be invaluable for both beginners and experienced users who need a quick reference.

Possible disadvantages of rubular

  • Limited Language Support
    Rubular is designed for Ruby, which means that regular expressions tested on Rubular may not behave the same way in other programming languages.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Advanced functionalities such as detailed debugging, regex optimization tips, and visual explanations are missing, which can be a disadvantage for more complex regex tasks.
  • No Saved Sessions
    The site doesn't offer a way to save your session or patterns, making it harder to manage and share multiple regex tests over time.
  • No Collaboration Tools
    Rubular lacks collaboration features such as shared workspace or real-time editing, which would benefit teams working on regex patterns together.

Analysis of RegExr

Overall verdict

  • RegExr is widely regarded as an excellent tool for working with regular expressions due to its comprehensive feature set and ease of use.

Why this product is good

  • RegExr is considered a good tool for learning, creating, testing, and sharing regular expressions (regex). It offers a user-friendly interface, extensive documentation, real-time regex parsing, highlighting, and explanations, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced users. The platform provides a library of community-contributed patterns and a robust set of tools that helps users understand and construct regex patterns effectively.

Recommended for

  • Beginners learning regular expressions.
  • Developers needing to test and refine regex patterns.
  • Educators teaching regex concepts.
  • Anyone requiring an intuitive interface to work with regular expressions.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RegExr and rubular)
Programming Tools
87 87%
13% 13
Regular Expressions
78 78%
22% 22
Development
55 55%
45% 45
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, RegExr seems to be a lot more popular than rubular. While we know about 368 links to RegExr, we've tracked only 36 mentions of rubular. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

RegExr mentions (368)

  • Learning Perl - Regular Expressions
    Use Online Tools: There are many online regex testers and visualizers that can help you see how your patterns match against sample text. These tools often provide explanations for each part of the regex. I personally use https://regexr.com/. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • The importance of the environment in Regex pattern matching
    However - here it becomes weird - when testing the original regex rule (the first one, without the \u00A0 part) on the same string in an interactive visualiser (https://regexr.com/ for instance), there is a match:. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Ask HN: How did you learn Regex?
    Learned regex in the 90's from the Perl documentation, or possibly one of the oreilly perl references. That was a time where printed language references were more convenient than searching the internet. Perl still includes a shell component for accessing it's documentation, that was invaluable in those ancient times. Perl's regex documentation is rather fantastic. `perldoc perlre` from your terminal. Or... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: How did you learn Regex?
    I read a lot on https://www.regular-expressions.info and experimented on https://rubular.com since I was also learning Ruby at the time. https://regexr.com is another good tool that breaks down your regex and matches. One of the things I remember being difficult at the beginning was the subtle differences between implementations, like `^` meaning "beginning of line" in Ruby (and others) but meaning "beginning of... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: How did you learn Regex?
    Mostly building things that needed complex RegEx, and debugging my regular expressions with https://regexr.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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rubular mentions (36)

  • Ask HN: How did you learn Regex?
    I read a lot on https://www.regular-expressions.info and experimented on https://rubular.com since I was also learning Ruby at the time. https://regexr.com is another good tool that breaks down your regex and matches. One of the things I remember being difficult at the beginning was the subtle differences between implementations, like `^` meaning "beginning of line" in Ruby (and others) but meaning "beginning of... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Building a syntax highlighting extension for VS Code
    As a ruby developer, I was happy to find that VS Code / TextMate grammar files use the same regular expression engine called Oniguruma as ruby itself. Thus, I could be sure that when trying my regular expressions in my favorite online regex tool, rubular.com, there would be no inconsistencies due to the engine inner workings. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Data cleaning problem
    In my testing on a couple of regex testers (https://rubular.com/ & https://regex101.com/) this seems to select the postcode correctly each time. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Anchor
    Copied from Rubular ( a nice tool to test regexes ):. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Advice on preparing for the Alteryx Advanced Exam?
    To add on to this from a regex perspective - I find regex to be invaluable in my workflows. Once you learn the basics I always test and debug my strings using https://rubular.com because it has string hints at the bottom that are readily available. Source: almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing RegExr and rubular, you can also consider the following products

regular expressions 101 - Extensive regex tester and debugger with highlighting for PHP, PCRE, Python and JavaScript.

Expresso - The award-winning Expresso editor is equally suitable as a teaching tool for the beginning user of regular expressions or as a full-featured development environment for the experienced programmer with an extensive knowledge of regular expressions.

RegEx Generator - RegEx Generator is a simple-to-use application that comes with the brilliance of intuitive regex and is also helping you out to test the regex.

RegexPlanet Ruby - RegexPlanet offers a free-to-use Regular Expression Test Page to help you check RegEx in Ruby free-of-cost.

i Hate Regex - regex cheatsheet for the haters

Reggy - Signup forms filled automatically with random identities