regexLiterals

Use a regular expression literal when the pattern is static.

✅ This rule is included in the ts logical and logicalStrict presets.

When the pattern and flags are static strings, using a regex literal is more concise and avoids unnecessary constructor calls. Regex literals are also easier to read and cannot throw at runtime due to invalid patterns, since they are validated at parse time.

Examples

❌ Incorrect

const pattern = RegExp("abc");

const pattern = new RegExp("abc", "gi");

const pattern = RegExp("");

✅ Correct

const pattern = /abc/;

const pattern = /abc/gi;

const pattern = /(?:)/;

// Dynamic patterns are fine
const pattern = new RegExp(userInput);

// Dynamic flags are fine
const pattern = new RegExp("abc", flags);

Options

This rule is not configurable.

When Not To Use It

If you prefer to always use RegExp constructors for consistency, or if you are building patterns from static pieces that are easier to read as strings, you might prefer to disable this rule.

Further Reading

• MDN: Regular expressions
• MDN: RegExp

Equivalents in Other Linters

• Biome: useRegexLiterals
• ESLint: prefer-regex-literals