Regexes Got Good: The History And Future Of Regular Expressions In JavaScript — Smashing Magazine
September 12, 2025

Although JavaScript regexes used to be underpowered compared to other modern flavors, numerous improvements in recent years mean that’s no longer true. Steven Levithan evaluates the history and present state of regular expressions in JavaScript with tips to make your regexes more readable, maintainable, and resilient.
Source: Regexes Got Good: The History And Future Of Regular Expressions In JavaScript — Smashing Magazine
We’ve covered regular expressions more than once here at Conffab. I still recall first encountering them in the first year of computer science, many, many, many years ago, and now as then they continue to largely feel like magical incantations.
I must admit, I now use a large language model to give me regular expressions when I need to use them.
They’ve long been in JavaScript, but they’ve been improving in recent years.
Learn here all about how regular expressions got good in JavaScript.