diff --git a/include/r3.h b/include/r3.h
index b2562c9..c68559b 100644
--- a/include/r3.h
+++ b/include/r3.h
@@ -180,6 +180,44 @@ enum { NODE_COMPARE_STR, NODE_COMPARE_PCRE, NODE_COMPARE_OPCODE };
 
 enum { OP_EXPECT_MORE_DIGITS = 1, OP_EXPECT_MORE_WORDS, OP_EXPECT_NOSLASH, OP_EXPECT_NODASH, OP_EXPECT_MORE_ALPHA };
 
+typedef struct {
+    /**
+     * source path
+     */
+    char * path;
+
+    int path_len;
+
+    /**
+     * slug start pointer
+     */
+    char * begin;
+
+    /**
+     * slug end pointer
+     */
+    char * end;
+
+    /**
+     * slug length
+     */
+    int len;
+
+    // slug pattern pointer if we have one
+    char * pattern;
+
+    // the length of custom pattern, if the pattern is found.
+    int    pattern_len;
+
+} r3_slug_t;
+
+
+r3_slug_t * r3_slug_parse(const char *needle, int needle_len, char **errstr);
+
+char * r3_slug_to_str(r3_slug_t *s);
+
+void r3_slug_free(r3_slug_t * s);
+
 #ifdef ENABLE_JSON
 json_object * r3_edge_to_json_object(const edge * e);
 json_object * r3_node_to_json_object(const node * n);
diff --git a/src/str.c b/src/str.c
index 939d067..a3ae55b 100644
--- a/src/str.c
+++ b/src/str.c
@@ -38,6 +38,83 @@ int r3_pattern_to_opcode(const char * pattern, int len) {
 }
 
 
+r3_slug_t * r3_slug_new(char * path, int path_len) {
+    r3_slug_t * s = zmalloc(sizeof(r3_slug_t));
+    s->path = path;
+    s->path_len = path_len;
+
+    s->begin = NULL;
+    s->end = NULL;
+    s->len = 0;
+
+    s->pattern = NULL;
+    s->pattern_len = 0;
+    return s;
+}
+
+void r3_slug_free(r3_slug_t * s) {
+    zfree(s);
+}
+
+int r3_slug_check(r3_slug_t *s, char **errstr) {
+    if (s->begin == NULL) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+    if (s->end == NULL) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
+char * r3_slug_to_str(r3_slug_t *s) {
+    char *str = NULL;
+    asprintf(&str, "slug: '%.*s', pattern: '%.*s', path: '%.*s'", s->len, s->begin, s->pattern_len, s->pattern, s->path_len, s->path);
+    return str;
+}
+
+
+r3_slug_t * r3_slug_parse(const char *needle, int needle_len, char **errstr) {
+    r3_slug_t * s = r3_slug_new(needle, needle_len);
+
+    int cnt = 0;
+    int state = 0;
+    char * p = (char*) needle;
+
+    while( (p-needle) < needle_len) {
+
+        if (*p == '\\' ) {
+            p++; p++;
+        }
+        if (state == 0 && *p == '{') {
+            s->begin = p+1; 
+        }
+
+        if (state == 1 && *p == ':') {
+            // start from next
+            s->pattern = p+1;
+        }
+
+        // closing slug
+        if (state == 1 && *p == '}') {
+            s->end = p;
+            s->len = s->end - s->begin;
+            if (s->pattern) {
+                s->pattern_len = p - s->pattern;
+            }
+            cnt++;
+            break;
+        }
+
+        if ( *p == '{' ) {
+            state++;
+        } else if ( *p == '}' ) {
+            state--;
+        }
+        p++;
+    };
+    return s;
+}
 
 /**
  * provide a quick way to count slugs, simply search for '{'
@@ -66,7 +143,7 @@ int slug_count(const char * needle, int len, char **errstr) {
     info("FOUND PATTERN: '%s' (%d), STATE: %d\n", needle, len, state);
     if (state != 0) {
         if (errstr) {
-            asprintf(errstr, "incomplete slug pattern. PATTERN (%d): '%s' (%d), OFFSET: %d, STATE: %d", len, needle, p - needle, state);
+            asprintf(errstr, "incomplete slug pattern. PATTERN (%d): '%s', OFFSET: %ld, STATE: %d", len, needle, p - needle, state);
         }
         return 0;
     }
diff --git a/tests/check_slug.c b/tests/check_slug.c
index 0919487..36a555a 100644
--- a/tests/check_slug.c
+++ b/tests/check_slug.c
@@ -94,6 +94,41 @@ START_TEST (test_incomplete_slug)
 }
 END_TEST
 
+
+START_TEST (test_slug_parse_with_pattern)
+{
+    char * pattern = "/user/{name:\\d{3}}";
+    char * errstr = NULL;
+    r3_slug_t *s = r3_slug_parse(pattern, strlen(pattern), &errstr);
+
+    char * out = r3_slug_to_str(s);
+    printf("%s\n",out);
+    zfree(out);
+
+    r3_slug_free(s);
+}
+END_TEST
+
+
+START_TEST (test_slug_parse_without_pattern)
+{
+    char * pattern = "/user/{name}";
+    char * errstr = NULL;
+    r3_slug_t *s = r3_slug_parse(pattern, strlen(pattern), &errstr);
+
+    char * out = r3_slug_to_str(s);
+    printf("%s\n",out);
+    zfree(out);
+
+    r3_slug_free(s);
+}
+END_TEST
+
+
+
+
+
+
 START_TEST (test_slug_count)
 {
     int cnt = 0;
@@ -134,6 +169,8 @@ Suite* r3_suite (void) {
         tcase_add_test(tcase, test_slug_compile);
         tcase_add_test(tcase, test_pattern_to_opcode);
         tcase_add_test(tcase, test_incomplete_slug);
+        tcase_add_test(tcase, test_slug_parse_with_pattern);
+        tcase_add_test(tcase, test_slug_parse_without_pattern);
 
         suite_add_tcase(suite, tcase);
         return suite;