escapeHTML javascript Code Snippet in 2025

Escapes a string for use in HTML.

• Use String.prototype.replace() with a regexp that matches the characters that need to be escaped.
• Use the callback function to replace each character instance with its associated escaped character using a dictionary object.

const escapeHTML = str =>
  str.replace(
    /[&<>'"]/g,
    tag =>
      ({
        '&': '&amp;',
        '<': '&lt;',
        '>': '&gt;',
        "'": '&#39;',
        '"': '&quot;'
      }[tag] || tag)
  );

escapeHTML('<a href="#">Me & you</a>');
// '&lt;a href=&quot;#&quot;&gt;Me &amp; you&lt;/a&gt;'