HTTP / HTTPS URL (Basic) Regex for Python
/^https?://(?:[a-zA-Z0-9](?:[a-zA-Z0-9\-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9])?\.)+[a-zA-Z]{2,63}(?::(?:6553[0-5]|655[0-2][0-9]|65[0-4][0-9]{2}|6[0-4][0-9]{3}|[1-5][0-9]{4}|[1-9][0-9]{0,3}))?(?:/[^\s]*)?$/iWhat this pattern does
This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching http / https url (basic), ported and verified for Python. A rigorously tested regex reduces debugging time and protects your application from edge-case failures. The snippet below is ready to drop into your Python project — whether you're validating in a Django view, a FastAPI endpoint, or a standalone data processing script.
Python Implementation
# HTTP / HTTPS URL (Basic)
# ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Web & Network > URL
import re
http_https_url_basic_pattern = re.compile(r'^https?://(?:[a-zA-Z0-9](?:[a-zA-Z0-9\-]{0,61}[a-zA-Z0-9])?\.)+[a-zA-Z]{2,63}(?::(?:6553[0-5]|655[0-2][0-9]|65[0-4][0-9]{2}|6[0-4][0-9]{3}|[1-5][0-9]{4}|[1-9][0-9]{0,3}))?(?:/[^\s]*)?$')
def validate_http_https_url_basic(value: str) -> bool:
return bool(http_https_url_basic_pattern.fullmatch(value))
# Example
print(validate_http_https_url_basic("https://example.com")) # TrueTest Cases
Matches (Valid) | Rejects (Invalid) |
|---|---|
https://example.com | ftp://example.com |
http://www.example.co.uk/path | https:// |
https://api.example.com:8443/v2/resource?foo=bar#section | http://.example.com |
http://sub.domain.example.com/ | http://example.com:99999 |
https://example.io | example.com |
When to use this pattern
This pattern is drawn from the Web & Network > URL category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for Python developers because particularly important in Python web servers where CPU-bound regex operations can stall concurrent request handling. 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
Do not use (.*)$ or (.+)$ for the path — these cause catastrophic backtracking on malformed input with long strings.
Technical Notes
Path component uses [^\s]* which is bounded by whitespace — safe against ReDoS. Allows query strings and fragments within the path group. TLD length limited to 2–63 chars per RFC 1034.
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