Regex for Alphanumeric
Letters and digits only, no spaces or symbols.
The Alphanumeric regex is ^[A-Za-z0-9]+$ — copy it below, or open it in the explainer for a token-by-token breakdown.
The pattern
^[A-Za-z0-9]+$
Token-by-token breakdown
Every part of the pattern, left to right:
| Token | Meaning |
|---|---|
^ | start of string (or line in multiline mode) |
[A-Za-z0-9]+ | one or more: any of: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, digits |
$ | end of string (or line in multiline mode) |
About this pattern
Number patterns appear constantly in form validation, log parsing, and data extraction. Regex is great for matching the shape but limited for semantic checks (range validation, mathematical constraints).
Quick usage in different languages
This exact pattern — with the correct escaping and idioms for each language:
- JavaScript:
/^[A-Za-z0-9]+$/.test(value) - Python:
re.match(r"^[A-Za-z0-9]+$", value) - Java:
Pattern.compile("^[A-Za-z0-9]+$").matcher(value).matches() - C# / .NET:
Regex.IsMatch(value, @"^[A-Za-z0-9]+$") - Go:
regexp.MustCompile(`^[A-Za-z0-9]+$`).MatchString(value) - Ruby:
/^[A-Za-z0-9]+$/.match?(value) - PHP:
preg_match('~^[A-Za-z0-9]+$~', $value)
The explainer’s Code tab regenerates these for any pattern you paste, and the downloadable cheat sheet bundles the breakdown, all seven snippets, and the pitfalls below onto one printable page.
Common pitfalls
- Anchored to the whole string. This pattern uses ^ and $, so it requires the entire input to match. To find it inside a longer text, drop the anchors and use the global (g) flag.
- ASCII letters only. [a-zA-Z] excludes accented and non-Latin letters (é, ü, ß, ñ, and non-Latin scripts). For international input use Unicode properties like \p{L} with the u flag.
- Validate beyond format. Matching the format doesn't guarantee the value is real. Confirm the alphanumeric against a source of truth (database, API, or checksum) where it matters.
Related patterns
More patterns in the Numbers & text category:
- Letters only
- Whitespace (multiple/leading/trailing)
- Scientific notation
- Quoted string
- Currency amount (USD)
- Between two strings
See also
Browse all 300 patterns in the library, or open this regex in the interactive explainer for a token-by-token breakdown, live testing, and code in seven languages.
Want more patterns? Browse the full library →