The Two Problems With Regular Expressions

from Picture Me Coding · host Erik Aker and Mike Mull

This week we're talking about regular expressions, aka, regex. These are a favorite tool of programmers, but they also have a dark side. Do regex cause more problems than they solve? Can they be evil? We also discuss the origins of regular expressions, formal language theory, and finite automata.Now You've Got Two ProblemsXKCD: Regular ExpressionsRepresentation of Events in Nerve Nets and Finite AutomataOWASP: ReDOSSend us Fan Mail

What this episode covers

This week we're talking about regular expressions, aka, regex. These are a favorite tool of programmers, but they also have a dark side. Do regex cause more problems than they solve? Can they be evil? We also discuss the origins of regular expressions, formal language theory, and finite automata. Now You've Got Two Problems XKCD: Regular Expressions Representation of Events in Nerve Nets and Finite Automata OWASP: ReDOS Send us Fan Mail

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This episode is 56 minutes long.

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This episode was published on October 1, 2025.

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