JavaScript Date Objects

In JavaScript, the Date object is a built-in object that allows you to work with dates and times. It provides a variety of methods to handle dates, compare them, manipulate them, and format them.

The Date object in JavaScript represents a single point in time. It provides various functionalities to work with dates and times like creating a Date object in several ways, and it allows you to perform operations like extracting parts of the date (year, month, day), comparing dates, and manipulating dates.

Creating a Date Object

You can create a Date object in multiple ways. Below are some of the most common methods:

1. Using the Default Date() Constructor

The default constructor creates a Date object representing the current date and time.

const now = new Date();
console.log(now);

2025-01-16T04:25:58.204Z

• new Date() creates a Date object for the current date and time.
• console.log(now) prints the current date and time to the console.

2. Using a specific date string

You can pass a date string to the constructor to create a Date object for a specific date and time.

const specificDate = new Date("2023-12-25T10:00:00");
console.log(specificDate); 

2023-12-25T10:00:00.000Z

• new Date("2023-12-25T10:00:00") creates a date for December 25, 2023, at 10:00 AM.
• console.log(specificDate) shows the date and time: "2023-12-25T10:00:00".

3. Using Year, Month, and Other Parameters

The Date constructor can also take individual parameters for year, month (0-indexed), day, hour, minute, second, and millisecond.

const anotherDate = new Date(2023, 11, 25, 10, 0, 0);
console.log(anotherDate);

2023-12-25T10:00:00.000Z

• new Date(2023, 11, 25, 10, 0, 0) creates a Date object for December 25, 2023, at 10:00 AM (months are 0-indexed, so 11 represents December).
• console.log(anotherDate) outputs the specified date and time: "2023-12-25T10:00:00.000".

4. Using Timestamps

You can create a Date object from a timestamp (milliseconds since January 1, 1970).

const timestampDate = new Date(1672531200000);
console.log(timestampDate);

2023-01-01T00:00:00.000Z

• new Date(1672531200000) creates a Date object based on the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970 (Unix Epoch).
• console.log(timestampDate) outputs the corresponding date and time for that timestamp, which is "2023-01-01T00:00:00.000Z".

Getting Date and Time Components

Once you have a Date object, you can easily extract various components like the year, month, day, hours, minutes, and seconds.

let cDate = new Date();
console.log(cDate.getFullYear()); // Gets the current year
console.log(cDate.getMonth());  // Gets the current month (0-indexed)
console.log(cDate.getDate());   // Gets the current day of the month
console.log(cDate.getHours());  // Gets the current hour
console.log(cDate.getMinutes()); // Gets the current minutes
console.log(cDate.getSeconds()); // Gets the current seconds

2025
1
11
18
34
9

Note: The getMonth() method returns a zero-indexed value (0 for January, 11 for December).

Date Manipulation

You can perform various date manipulations such as adding or subtracting days, months, or years to/from a specific date.

Adding Days to a Date

let cDate = new Date();
cDate.setDate(cDate.getDate() + 5); // Adds 5 days to the current date
console.log(cDate);

2025-02-16T18:36:36.850Z

In this example, we use the setDate() method to add 5 days to the current date.

Comparing Dates

JavaScript also allows you to compare two Date objects to check if they are equal or which one is earlier or later.

let date1 = new Date('2023-12-31');
let date2 = new Date('2024-01-01');
if (date1 < date2) {
    console.log('date1 is earlier than date2');
} else if (date1 > date2) {
    console.log('date1 is later than date2');
} else {
    console.log('Both dates are the same');
}

date1 is earlier than date2

In this example, we compare date1 and date2 using comparison operators like <, >, and ===.

Formatting Dates

JavaScript provides various methods to format dates into a human-readable string, although formatting options can be limited in plain JavaScript. You can use toLocaleDateString() or toLocaleTimeString() to format dates and times.

Formatting a Date to a Local String

let now = new Date();
let formattedDate = now.toLocaleDateString('en-US');
console.log(formattedDate);  // Output format: MM/DD/YYYY

2/11/2025

The toLocaleDateString() method allows you to specify a locale (e.g., 'en-US' for American English) and formats the date accordingly.

Formatting Date and Time

let now = new Date();
let formattedDateTime = now.toLocaleString('en-US');
console.log(formattedDateTime);  // Output format: MM/DD/YYYY, HH:MM:SS AM/PM

2/11/2025, 6:41:41 PM

The toLocaleString() method returns both the date and time in a localized format.

UTC Methods

In JavaScript, Date objects are based on the local time zone. However, you can use the UTC methods to handle date and time in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

let now = new Date();
console.log(now.getUTCFullYear()); // Gets the current year in UTC
console.log(now.getUTCMonth());  // Gets the current month (0-indexed) in UTC
console.log(now.getUTCDate());   // Gets the current day of the month in UTC

2025
1
11

The getUTC*() methods return the corresponding date components in UTC.

Date Parsing

JavaScript's Date object allows you to parse date strings into Date objects.

let dateS = '2023-12-31';
let parsed = new Date(dateS);
console.log(parsed);

2023-12-31T00:00:00.000Z

You can also parse date strings in various formats such as 'YYYY-MM-DD', 'MM/DD/YYYY', or even ISO 8601 date strings.

Date Object Method's Table

Here are some methods that define the usage of a Date object, These are non-static methods.

Below methods are returns all the values according to local time

Below methods are returns all the values according to universal time

Conclusion

The JavaScript Date object is a powerful tool for working with dates and times. By understanding its methods and properties, you can handle a wide variety of date-related tasks in your applications. For more advanced date manipulation and formatting, consider using external libraries to complement the built-in functionality.