URL Host Extraction Regex for Python

What this pattern does

This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching url host extraction, 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

# URL Host Extraction
# ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Web & Network > URL

import re

url_host_extraction_pattern = re.compile(r'^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9+\-.]{0,20}://(?:[^@/\s]+@)?([a-zA-Z0-9\-._\[\]]+)(?::[0-9]+)?(?:/[^\s]*)?$')

def validate_url_host_extraction(value: str) -> bool:
    return bool(url_host_extraction_pattern.fullmatch(value))

# Example
print(validate_url_host_extraction("https://example.com"))  # True

Test Cases

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

Technical Notes

Capture group 1 contains the hostname or IP (including IPv6 brackets if present). Handles optional auth prefix before @.