Glob Pattern Tester — Match Paths, See the Regex

Real-world use cases

• Verify a .gitignore rule before committing it

  You add dist/** to .gitignore but a build artifact keeps showing up in git status. Paste dist/** as the pattern and the real paths that leak (dist/app.js, dist/chunks/vendor.js, build/dist/x.js) and the tester shows instantly which ones the rule actually catches. You discover build/dist/x.js is not matched because the rule is anchored at the root, fix it to **/dist/** and confirm before the commit, not after.

• Pick the right include glob for a build tool

  Vite or ESLint wants a glob for which files to process. You think src/*.ts covers everything, paste a few nested paths, and see that src/utils/date.ts is skipped because a single star stays in one folder. Switch to src/**/*.ts, watch every nested file flip to matched, and copy the working pattern straight into your config.

• Teach or learn how globs map to regex

  A teammate does not see why **/*.ts matches a top-level file. Type the glob and read the equivalent regex the tester prints alongside the results. Seeing (?:.*/)? for the double star makes it obvious the directory prefix is optional, which is why index.ts matches with zero folders. Share the link so the explanation reopens with your exact example.

• Filter a deploy or CI path list

  A CI job should only run when files under packages match. Paste the path filter glob and the changed-file list from a pull request, then read which files trip the job. You catch that a docs-only change still matches because the glob was too loose, tighten it, and stop wasting CI minutes on builds that did not need to run.

Common pitfalls

• Expecting a single star to cross directories. A single star stays inside one path segment, so *.ts only matches files in the current folder and src/*.ts skips src/sub/x.ts. When files can nest, use a double star like src/**/*.ts instead.

• Forgetting that ** needs its own segment. Writing src/**.ts does not walk directories the way you expect; the directory-crossing form is src/**/*.ts where the double star and the file pattern are separated by a slash. The tester shows the difference immediately.

• Treating glob like regex. A dot in a glob is a literal dot, a plus is a literal plus, and there is no anchoring with ^ or $. So *.txt means a literal .txt extension, not any char then txt. The equivalent-regex panel makes the escaping explicit so you do not over-think it.

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