#! /bin/bash

foo=baaz
regex='ba{2}z'

if [[ $foo =~ 'ba{2}z' ]]; then
    echo "literal worked"
fi

if [[ $foo =~ $regex ]]; then
    echo "variable worked"
fi

#! /bin/bash

foo=baaz
regex='ba{2}z'

if [[ $foo =~ ba{2}z ]]; then
    echo "literal worked"
fi

if [[ $foo =~ $regex ]]; then
    echo "variable worked"
fi

# Should output literal worked, then variable worked