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 — the measured multiples (geometric mean, per-case wins and the two accepted losses) live in docs/BENCHMARKS.md §B. Sparse scans, multiline anchors and capture-dense extraction lead; 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 27, 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 27, 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-2026.7.57.tar.gz (502.7 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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-win_amd64.whl (894.3 kB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+Windows x86-64

real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-win32.whl (862.6 kB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+Windows x86

real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl (3.8 MB view details)

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

real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl (3.7 MB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+musllinux: musl 1.2+ ARM64

real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl (2.8 MB view details)

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

real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl (2.8 MB view details)

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

real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl (708.3 kB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+macOS 11.0+ ARM64

real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl (723.2 kB view details)

Uploaded CPython 3.10+macOS 10.9+ x86-64

File details

Details for the file real_regex-2026.7.57.tar.gz.

File metadata

  • Download URL: real_regex-2026.7.57.tar.gz
  • Upload date:
  • Size: 502.7 kB
  • Tags: Source
  • Uploaded using Trusted Publishing? Yes
  • Uploaded via: twine/6.1.0 CPython/3.13.13

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.57.tar.gz
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 2d5bfb07f77424b792781e0eaa86689e4c9eb6da08f959c9aaa06a8ae0449e5a
MD5 6972e47837c6fce8028ee6334dd85937
BLAKE2b-256 a7de98ca4ca2f6804ba5ff7e662a390f40b42708aaef2f0fe17db743a0567f9e

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57.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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-win_amd64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-win_amd64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 08654cdb05adb36fb3eeb1658b219cf86389b0a6078beffa6dc36e364a0de439
MD5 a486a84fde83deea3f782f58c73e08fb
BLAKE2b-256 851bc009c36a85683133d051435933809b30e6cde57b03c61156f41853110b55

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57-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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-win32.whl.

File metadata

  • Download URL: real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-win32.whl
  • Upload date:
  • Size: 862.6 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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-win32.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 18625b1cb65af7cd1ec0f2c7b905a7acbfeebd616df2b9a72d91ac72a499cacc
MD5 090e6d2e4cb8c66538d30423c20b9522
BLAKE2b-256 0baf1868afdb8d364625db3b346d856ae3ba519f1b9fdf45fcb5d8758c87884d

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57-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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 e43f989f51ab9c53f97d679d77eebd84882b4fbe7b7dae5890228b954a2d55c2
MD5 ec53906c4f3f2311fcda3ab3d8500780
BLAKE2b-256 279bdbe6e73c9410883be5817cb23de16863161220b5ac26d7da9aabba1b5d41

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57-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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 37561a0082ab20c8f1ddd28a17a8fa047d7c11d899a4c2ef39ce6851299f4c08
MD5 ea9080a47747819394196d0e69130d88
BLAKE2b-256 13228996783b83aeae5e25443f1411c1092d271d529f5d02360201d1c99f6ee3

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57-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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 f77afbfe02005ca9076fecc89da057ae399efd10e5355584d6097b4c41f85676
MD5 c93afcdb90c01910cee88198e09fb8bb
BLAKE2b-256 9d19ffa7814720b11a611690aaf8eb82e53751e184d69a06e59158c8950913f0

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57-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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_24_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 45603b6e505111b0617231a6a98a1d9a55e7df94e3922ef185142b547a871873
MD5 cbd0c3ed16a8cb7ff311c162be2d92f4
BLAKE2b-256 89cf6ed226f59a0187dd30f6ef27fb02f34381b93f1a62aa32a3c52ebb704609

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57-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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 f712c6b8a542487270ba62575e7ad76493605f93b60b2a6d7fc360f924379f63
MD5 3cec59241f40cf4b199bf131f25b1c7f
BLAKE2b-256 b7f6d36004945c4575c16b6d728016c568dbd8624d639e57feb9d250c0ce77f1

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57-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-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl.

File metadata

File hashes

Hashes for real_regex-2026.7.57-cp310-abi3-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl
Algorithm Hash digest
SHA256 737a2cf2f9eaadaa01820b9b312f5e545962de91c42474c42b1f5a87e583a230
MD5 c563fc4c1d5e5628492f9719de6f7ded
BLAKE2b-256 40cb92bd9998f6add6ca1fe4f7de1ae61e5c9e375207734e931798cf4b6f646e

See more details on using hashes here.

Provenance

The following attestation bundles were made for real_regex-2026.7.57-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

This release

2026.7.57 This release

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

2026.7.32

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