JavaScript Date() and Commonly Used Methods

JavaScript provides the Date object to work with dates and times. You can create a new date using:

let currentDate = new Date();
console.log(currentDate);

This gives the current date and time.

Common Date Methods Used in Production

1. Getting Date and Time

   • getFullYear(): Returns the year.

   • getMonth(): Returns the month (0-11, where 0 is January).

   • getDate(): Returns the day of the month (1-31).

   • getDay(): Returns the day of the week (0-6, where 0 is Sunday).

   • getHours(), getMinutes(), getSeconds(): Get the respective time values.

    let today = new Date();
    console.log(today.getFullYear()); // Example: 2025
    console.log(today.getMonth());    // Example: 2 (March)
    console.log(today.getDate());     // Example: 11

2. Formatting Dates

   • toDateString(): Returns a readable date string.

   • toISOString(): Returns a date in YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ format (useful in APIs).

   • toLocaleDateString(): Formats date based on the user's locale.

    console.log(today.toDateString());     // Example: "Tue Mar 11 2025"
    console.log(today.toISOString());      // Example: "2025-03-11T14:30:00.000Z"
    console.log(today.toLocaleDateString()); // Example: "3/11/2025" (based on locale)

3. Setting Date and Time

   • setFullYear(year), setMonth(month), setDate(day): Set date values.

    let customDate = new Date();
    customDate.setFullYear(2026);
    customDate.setMonth(5);  // June (0-based)
    console.log(customDate);

4. Time Difference (Timestamps)

   • getTime(): Returns milliseconds since January 1, 1970 (useful for time calculations).

    let timestamp = today.getTime();
    console.log(timestamp);  // Example: 1741557600000

Conclusion

JavaScript Date() is powerful for handling dates and times in web applications. The above methods help in fetching, formatting, and manipulating dates effectively.