real-regex

A drop-in replacement for Python's re, backed by a linear-time, ReDoS-safe C++20 engine — with bounded lookarounds that the other linear-time engines (RE2, Rust) don't have.

pip install real-regex

Drop-in for re

Import it as re and use the API you already know — compile, search, match, fullmatch, findall, finditer, sub, subn, split, and Match.group / groups / groupdict / span / start / end:

import real as re

m = re.match(r"(\w+)@(\w+)\.(\w+)", "user@example.com")
m.group(1), m.group(2), m.group(3)          # ('user', 'example', 'com')

re.findall(r"\d+", "a1 b22 c333")            # ['1', '22', '333']
re.sub(r"\s+", "_", "a  b   c")              # 'a_b_c'

Flags work the same: re.I, re.M, re.S, re.X, re.A. Unicode \w \d \s \b and IGNORECASE case-folding follow re in text mode.

Why replace re

  • No ReDoS. re (like every backtracking engine) blows up on patterns like (a+)+b against a hostile input — seconds, then minutes. real-regex is a Thompson NFA simulation: linear time, always, no catastrophic backtracking, ever.
  • Bounded lookarounds, still linear. (?=…) (?!…) (?<=…) (?<!…) — including variable-width lookbehind — match without backtracking. RE2 and Rust drop lookarounds to stay safe; real-regex keeps them.
  • Faster than re on most work — geometric mean 2.06× across a broad corpus (CI [1.37, 3.12]). One-pass extraction and a lazy DFA make sparse findall 9.6×, multiline anchors 30×, and capture-dense group extraction (emails: 1.07×, up from a 0.32× loss before the one-pass work) beat re; a couple of high-volume split/tiny-anchored cases stay slower (CPython's C engine wins there). It is not the fastest engine at raw throughput — it is the safe one that is also quick.

Not re, on purpose

Strict by default — every accepted pattern is guaranteed linear. The unsupported constructs (backreferences, conditionals, non-binary Unicode properties like \p{Bidi_Class=L}) raise real.error rather than silently falling back to a backtracking engine, so a compiled pattern is a ReDoS-safety guarantee, not a maybe. (\p{L} / \p{sc=Greek} / \p{scx=Grek} / \p{Alphabetic} — General_Category, Script, Script_Extensions and the standard binary properties — are supported, a superset of stdlib re.) Opt into delegating those to the standard library re per call with real.compile(pat, fallback=True) (or module-wide with real.fallback = True) — it may accept them, at the cost of the linear-time guarantee for that pattern; Pattern.engine ("real" or "re") always tells you which backend you got. A few semantics differ deliberately (e.g. a nullable loop's final empty capture). Full list: COMPATIBILITY.md.

The wheel also ships the header-only C++ library — real.get_include() returns its path, so the same engine is available to C++ via #include <real/real.hpp>. Source, benchmarks and the C++ API: https://github.com/RECHE23/real-regex.

Project links

Data verified by PyPI on Jul 11, 2026
Data provided by the project maintainers, verified at the time the release was uploaded to PyPI.

Key dates

PyPI data
Data sourced directly from PyPI's database.
  • Released:
Newer release available (2026.8.17)

1 maintainer

PyPI data
Data sourced directly from PyPI's database.
Avatar for scientificlanguage from gravatar.com scientificlanguage

Credits

Author: René Chenard

GitHub Statistics

Data verified by PyPI on Jul 11, 2026
The GitHub source repository was provided by the project maintainers and verified by PyPI at the time of upload. Stars, forks, and open issues/PRs are derived from that repository and have not been independently verified.

License expression

MIT
View SPDX License List

Requires

Python >=3.10

Tags

regex regular-expression redos linear-time re

Classifiers

Report project as malware

Download files

Download the file for your platform. If you're not sure which to choose, learn more about installing packages.

Source Distribution

real_regex-2026.7.32.tar.gz (394.6 kB view details)

Uploaded Source

Built Distributions

If you're not sure about the file name format, learn more about wheel file names.

real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win_amd64.whl (735.9 kB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+Windows x86-64

real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win32.whl (715.1 kB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+Windows x86

real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl (3.0 MB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+musllinux: musl 1.2+ x86-64

real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl (2.9 MB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+musllinux: musl 1.2+ ARM64

real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl (2.0 MB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+manylinux: glibc 2.24+ x86-64manylinux: glibc 2.28+ x86-64

real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl (2.0 MB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+manylinux: glibc 2.24+ ARM64manylinux: glibc 2.28+ ARM64

real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl (543.2 kB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+macOS 11.0+ ARM64

real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl (557.9 kB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+macOS 10.9+ x86-64

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32.tar.gz.

File metadata

  • Download URL: real_regex-2026.7.32.tar.gz
  • Upload date:
  • Size: 394.6 kB
  • Tags: Source
  • Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? Yes
  • Uploaded via: twine/6.1.0 CPython/3.13.13

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32.tar.gz
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 ef1d8a7edef553e421bdde257cd89b09ef08f3b834c74885962e701234400bb8
MD5 e375c63c81656d42de9212c1aa3a81a7
BLAKE2b-256 b5db3deef0ec865552b1f469412258d01eb765d7e506aa957c491253e9bb5c75

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32.tar.gz:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win_amd64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win_amd64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 261e95f21e79a9407bc93851b030782ed9a7edd2472930cf9fe1ec41519af3d8
MD5 f6b9d45a18bf09055888a0406bde8f05
BLAKE2b-256 08b05c4b4d6492e53b7f44d5c162745a024d979f7545f5b28102c04c5fa5a367

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win_amd64.whl:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win32.whl.

File metadata

  • Download URL: real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win32.whl
  • Upload date:
  • Size: 715.1 kB
  • Tags: CPython 3.10+, Windows x86
  • Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? Yes
  • Uploaded via: twine/6.1.0 CPython/3.13.13

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win32.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 d5adfe7c5f47f1fc27fb4470ba98e44ff6c24e281e1cb084d32ea845e397615e
MD5 14ef1936d5ee863dd9eb9d16f186117e
BLAKE2b-256 79ccf386c715102424825c593fdd34eb00681dcd954f270b4790df46dc3b4d92

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-win32.whl:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 bd512e138676559dd8db015084ce4099607a63c80e01fe7ed60beb2a636865d8
MD5 c331da2f71ee44cffcadcf78c317e7f4
BLAKE2b-256 bdf93cbe3b2f5d6affa9df1d695a2b81f492190c42c0926cd1b44b0c4f2955f3

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 2aa7559f0cc30c094b01fd64be8a6430c185105856977297c142ee65038e14fa
MD5 a3db6da47a6216394a81fbe62f41d3a9
BLAKE2b-256 4799cce13401159c0dc36d6ddaa18533d30c4f6ba8a2b63afdb5159a10685a71

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 43e7425d42a2d7e057744894abc474adfad3076f17fea2312f8fe63bb7c15c49
MD5 df822ec5a7bc8b26b98f5d1e487654a8
BLAKE2b-256 4d894b9375421c4c416d32494acb31fefde0706fed64f4dbe34b402ce9d9d57c

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 6c3ec25d34d19068cdb0602ef9f9a0a628cd76b27296f06b17e020697deda4e2
MD5 a3a21a05a10f58921918689bee6857ec
BLAKE2b-256 c9eee38ca0f0fd6813ebb06dbf300c7b7a9c5c1103b3d6f60c4eb6ca50d03014

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 a101dfb9bdc514f0ce468b43d3d24f06f03c532a83899b061c65d45bd9913914
MD5 0e82754ea3046d4d7d66b49d2b3c45a8
BLAKE2b-256 8f580918ce53d3880c61f702af6edcee1365850f237e8333d411a6ad1845595f

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 89e601fab4ba39756b2522499041ec349d444894b4c1519ea71ce61c86eb73d4
MD5 a035ce18a067202f0f40e4141b5218dd
BLAKE2b-256 ce4dc5538fcc68282943fbdf227413c77cec2fcec457e39bb364d297611e8d74

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.32-cp310-abi3-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl:

Publisher: release.yml on RECHE23/real-regex

Attestations: Values shown here reflect the state when the release was signed and may no longer be current.

Release history Release notifications | RSS feed

2026.8.17

9 files

2026.8.16

9 files

2026.8.15

9 files

2026.8.14

9 files

2026.8.13

9 files

2026.8.12

9 files

2026.8.11

9 files

2026.8.10

9 files

2026.8.9

9 files

2026.8.8

9 files

2026.8.7

9 files

2026.8.6

9 files

2026.8.5

9 files

2026.8.4

9 files

2026.8.3

9 files

2026.8.2

9 files

2026.8.1

9 files

2026.8.0

9 files

2026.7.63

9 files

2026.7.62

9 files

2026.7.61

9 files

2026.7.60

9 files

2026.7.59

9 files

2026.7.58

9 files

2026.7.57

9 files

2026.7.56

9 files

2026.7.55

9 files

2026.7.54

9 files

2026.7.53

9 files

2026.7.52

9 files

2026.7.51

9 files

2026.7.50

9 files

2026.7.49

9 files

2026.7.48

9 files

2026.7.47

9 files

2026.7.46

9 files

2026.7.45

9 files

2026.7.44

9 files

2026.7.43

9 files

2026.7.42

9 files

2026.7.41

9 files

2026.7.40

9 files

2026.7.39

9 files

2026.7.38

9 files

2026.7.37

9 files

2026.7.36

9 files

2026.7.35

9 files

2026.7.34

9 files

2026.7.33

9 files

This release

2026.7.32 This release

9 files

2026.7.31

9 files

2026.7.30

9 files

2026.7.29

9 files

2026.7.28

9 files

2026.7.27

9 files

2026.7.26

9 files

2026.7.25

9 files

2026.7.24

9 files

2026.7.23

9 files

2026.7.22

9 files

2026.7.21

9 files

2026.7.20

9 files

2026.7.19

9 files

2026.7.18

9 files

2026.7.17

9 files

2026.7.16

9 files

2026.7.15

9 files

2026.7.14

9 files

2026.7.13

9 files

2026.7.12

9 files

2026.7.11

9 files

2026.7.10

9 files

2026.7.9

9 files

2026.7.8

9 files

2026.7.7

9 files

2026.7.6

9 files

2026.7.5

9 files

2026.7.4

9 files

2026.7.3

9 files

2026.7.2

9 files

2026.7.1

9 files

2026.7.0

9 files

2026.6.21

9 files

2026.6.20

9 files

2026.6.19

9 files

2026.6.18

9 files

2026.6.17

9 files

2026.6.16

9 files

2026.6.15

9 files

2026.6.14

9 files

2026.6.13

9 files

2026.6.12

9 files

2026.6.11

9 files

2026.6.10

9 files

2026.6.9

9 files

2026.6.8

9 files

2026.6.7

9 files

2026.6.6

9 files

2026.6.5

9 files

2026.6.4

9 files

2026.6.3

9 files

2026.6.2

9 files

2026.6.1

9 files

2026.6.0

9 files

Supported by

AWS Cloud computing and Security Sponsor Datadog Monitoring Depot Continuous Integration Fastly CDN Google Download Analytics Sentry Error logging StatusPage Status page