What is Regex Complexity Estimator?
Calculates the potential number of operations based on string length and regex complexity factors (O(n)).
How it Works
1. Enter 'String Length'.
2. Input 'Operations per Char'.
3. View estimated Ops.
Example
Input: 100 chars, 5 ops/char
Result: 500 Ops
FAQ
What is backtracking?
The engine tries multiple paths to find a match, consuming CPU.
O(n) meaning?
Linear time complexity; generally safe.
O(2^n)?
Exponential time; dangerous for long strings.
How to optimize?
Be specific, avoid wildcards (.), use atomic groups.
Best practice?
Use string methods (split, index) if regex isn't needed.
Conclusion
Regular expressions can be computationally expensive. Nested quantifiers can lead to 'Catastrophic Backtracking', crashing your server. Keep regex simple and avoid nesting * and + where possible.