How to install Oniguruma on Ubuntu?

Use the package manager with 'apt install libonig5' for the library, or compile manually using autoreconf, ./configure, and make install as per the README's Linux installation steps.

Oniguruma vs PCRE: which is better for multi-encoding?

Oniguruma excels with per-regex encoding support for many charsets, while PCRE is more widely maintained; choose Oniguruma for encoding flexibility but PCRE for active development.

What happened to Oniguruma in 2025?

The project was archived or ended on April 24, 2025, with a notice in the README, so it's no longer actively developed, though existing versions remain available.

How to compile Oniguruma on Windows?

Use Visual Studio with the make_win.bat script to build static or dynamic libraries, or install via vcpkg for easier dependency management, as described in the Windows section.

Is Oniguruma still maintained?

No, maintenance stopped in April 2025, so it's not recommended for new projects needing updates, but it can be used as-is with caution for existing systems.

How to use callouts in Oniguruma?

Refer to the sample/callout.c program in the repository, which demonstrates built-in and user-defined callouts for advanced pattern control, as part of the callout system feature.

Open-Awesome

Oniguruma

NOASSERTIONCv6.9.10

A modern, flexible regular expression library supporting multiple character encodings and syntaxes.

GitHub

2.5k stars351 forks0 contributors

What is Oniguruma?

Oniguruma is a modern, flexible regular expression library written in C. It provides a comprehensive set of regex features drawn from various programming language implementations, supporting numerous character encodings per regex object. It solves the problem of needing a robust, encoding-aware regex engine for applications that process text in multiple languages and formats.

Target Audience

Developers and system programmers building applications that require advanced text processing with support for multiple character encodings, particularly those working on internationalization, text editors, or language tooling.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Oniguruma for its extensive character encoding support, modern regex feature set combining the best from different languages, and multiple API options (native, POSIX, GNU) for compatibility. Its performance and flexibility make it a reliable choice for complex text matching tasks.

Overview

regular expression library

Use Cases

Best For

Implementing regex support in programming languages or interpreters
Building text editors or IDEs with multi-encoding regex search
Developing internationalization tools that process text in various encodings
Creating data validation systems with complex pattern matching requirements
Adding advanced text search capabilities to C/C++ applications
Replacing limited regex implementations with a more feature-rich library

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring active maintenance and future security updates
Developers seeking a simple, high-level regex API without C compilation
Web applications needing client-side regex matching in browsers
Teams prioritizing quick integration over extensive encoding support

Pros & Cons

Pros

Extensive Encoding Support

Supports per-regex encoding for over 30 character sets including UTF-8, UTF-16, and various EUC variants, as listed in the README, making it ideal for international text processing.

Modern Regex Syntax

Incorporates features from multiple languages, with Unicode properties and advanced operators like (*SKIP) added in recent updates, enhancing flexibility for complex patterns.

Multiple API Compatibility

Offers native, POSIX, and GNU regex APIs, providing versatility for different programming environments, as detailed in the usage and source files section.

Cross-Platform Availability

Available on Linux, Unix, Windows via Visual Studio or vcpkg, and Cygwin, with clear installation steps for each platform, including package manager commands.

Cons

Project End-of-Life

The project officially ended on April 24, 2025, as stated in the README, meaning no future updates, bug fixes, or security patches, which is a significant risk for production use.

Complex Manual Compilation

Requires steps like autoreconf, ./configure, and make for manual installation, which can be error-prone compared to simpler libraries with one-step setups.

Binary Compatibility Challenges

Changes in POSIX API handling require specific configure flags (--enable-binary-compatible-posix-api) to maintain compatibility, indicating potential breaking changes and added complexity.

Limited Ecosystem Integration

As a C library, it lacks built-in bindings for higher-level languages, requiring additional wrappers or effort for integration compared to language-native regex solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

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