AWS Secret Access Key Regex for JavaScript

What this pattern does

This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching aws secret access key, ported and verified for JavaScript. In security-sensitive code, using an unverified regex can open the door to both false positives and denial-of-service attacks. The snippet below is ready to drop into your JavaScript project — whether you're validating in an Express middleware, a Next.js API route, or a client-side form.

Javascript Implementation

// AWS Secret Access Key
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Security > API Keys & Tokens

const awsSecretAccessKeyRegex = /(?:aws_secret_access_key|AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY|secret.?access.?key)(?:[\s=:"']+)([A-Za-z0-9\/+=]{40})(?:["'\s]|$)/i;

function validateAwsSecretAccessKey(input: string): boolean {
  return awsSecretAccessKeyRegex.test(input);
}

// Example
console.log(validateAwsSecretAccessKey("aws_secret_access_key = wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY")); // true

Test Cases

When to use this pattern

This pattern is drawn from the Security > API Keys & Tokens category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for JavaScript developers because especially critical in long-running Node.js event loops where a ReDoS vulnerability can block the entire process. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.

Common Pitfalls

Technical Notes

Context-aware pattern — requires the key name label to be present (common in config files, environment variables, and .env files). The secret itself is 40 base64 characters. Bare 40-char base64 strings without the label context are too broad to match reliably.