What is an example of a matching and non-matching string?

A valid matching string is "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ". A non-matching string is "https://vimeo.com/123456".

Is this regex safe from ReDoS (Catastrophic Backtracking)?

Yes, this pattern is optimized for linear execution time and safe for browser-side validation without locking up the UI thread.

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YouTube Video ID & URL Extractor Regex

Q: How do I test this regex in JavaScript and TypeScript?

Use regex.test(): const regex = /^(?:https?:\/\/)?(?:www\.)?(?:youtu\.be\/|youtube\.com\/(?:embed\/|v\/|watch\?v=|watch\?.+&v=))([\w-]{11})(?:\S+)?$/i; const isValid = regex.test(inputString);

Matches YouTube video URLs and captures the 11-character unique video identifier.

Regular Expression Pattern:

/^(?:https?:\/\/)?(?:www\.)?(?:youtu\.be\/|youtube\.com\/(?:embed\/|v\/|watch\?v=|watch\?.+&v=))([\w-]{11})(?:\S+)?$/i

Valid Match Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Invalid / Non-Match Example:

https://vimeo.com/123456

Regex Syntax Breakdown & Explanation

•Captures the 11-character alphanumeric YouTube ID from youtu.be, embed, or watch URLs.

Implementation in Popular Languages

JavaScript / TypeScript

const regex = /^(?:https?:\/\/)?(?:www\.)?(?:youtu\.be\/|youtube\.com\/(?:embed\/|v\/|watch\?v=|watch\?.+&v=))([\w-]{11})(?:\S+)?$/i;
const isValid = regex.test("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ");
console.log(isValid); // true

Python (re)

import re

pattern = r"^(?:https?:\/\/)?(?:www\.)?(?:youtu\.be\/|youtube\.com\/(?:embed\/|v\/|watch\?v=|watch\?.+&v=))([\w-]{11})(?:\S+)?$"
match = re.match(pattern, "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ")
print(bool(match)) # True

Go (regexp)

package main
import (
  "fmt"
  "regexp"
)

func main() {
  re := regexp.MustCompile(`^(?:https?:\/\/)?(?:www\.)?(?:youtu\.be\/|youtube\.com\/(?:embed\/|v\/|watch\?v=|watch\?.+&v=))([\w-]{11})(?:\S+)?$`)
  fmt.Println(re.MatchString("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"))
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know regarding specifications, syntax, and security best practices.

The regular expression pattern is /^(?:https?:\/\/)?(?:www\.)?(?:youtu\.be\/|youtube\.com\/(?:embed\/|v\/|watch\?v=|watch\?.+&v=))([\w-]{11})(?:\S+)?$/i. Matches YouTube video URLs and captures the 11-character unique video identifier.