Install pomsky with Homebrew, Nix, scoop

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• pomsky

Project history

Ludwig Stecher began the project in February 2022 under the name Rulex and released its first version the following month. It was conceived as a readable language compiled to regular expressions.

The project was renamed Pomsky in 2022 following a trademark complaint. Its documentation and playground were rebuilt, and subsequent development added variables, ranges, tests, Unicode features, diagnostics, optimization, and integrations.

Adoption history

The original Rulex announcement attracted substantial developer attention and feedback, which influenced syntax, diagnostics, fuzz testing, and tooling. The project subsequently gained an online playground, editor support, and distribution through several package ecosystems.

How it is used

Write a Pomsky expression using quoted strings, variables, readable repetition and assertion syntax, then compile it with the `pomsky` CLI for the intended regex flavor. Embed the resulting ordinary regex in the target application or language.

Use built-in `test` blocks to document accepted and rejected strings. The CLI can execute these tests through PCRE2, with the documented caveat that the target engine may differ from PCRE2 in supported behavior.

Why package nerds care

Pomsky is interesting to package collectors because it is a compiler-like CLI for a tiny domain-specific language rather than another regex engine. Its output is ordinary regular-expression syntax that can be embedded in existing programs and APIs.

It also makes regex-engine differences explicit: users select a target flavor, while Pomsky reports unsupported constructs or polyfills some features. Built-in expression tests use PCRE2, giving the package a concrete bridge between language tooling and a conventional regex implementation.

Timeline

• 2022-02: Development begins under the name Rulex.
• 2022-03: The first Rulex release is published.
• 2022-07: The renamed Pomsky project is publicly introduced with a dedicated website and playground.

Related projects

• PCRE2 is used by Pomsky's CLI to execute built-in expression tests. Pomsky remains a transpiler rather than a regex engine, so the generated expression is ultimately consumed by an engine such as PCRE2, JavaScript, Java, Python, Rust, Ruby, or .NET.

Sources

• https://pomsky-lang.org/
• https://pomsky-lang.org/blog/introducing-pomsky/
• https://pomsky-lang.org/docs/get-started/quick-reference/
• https://pomsky-lang.org/docs/reference/constructs/tests/