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Dealing with dates in JavaScript often requires formatting them in a way that’s easy to understand and work with.

One popular date format is yyyy-mm-dd, known as the ISO 8601 date format. This format not only maintains clarity but also simplifies comparisons and sorting.

In this guide, we’ll take you through 3 different methods to achieve the yyyy-mm-dd date format in JavaScript.

Format Date yyyy-mm-dd

Method 1: Utilizing the Date Object

JavaScript provides the Date object to handle various date-related operations. To format a date as yyyy-mm-dd using the Date object, follow these steps:

  1. Create a Date Object: Begin by initializing a new Date object. You can either use a date string or specify individual year, month, and day components.
  2. Extract Date Components: Retrieve the year, month, and day components from the Date object.
  3. Format Components: If needed, ensure that single-digit months and days are formatted with leading zeros.
  4. Compose the Formatted String: Combine the components using hyphens as separators to construct the desired yyyy-mm-dd format.
function formatDateToYYYYMMDD(date) {
  const year = date.getFullYear();
  const month = String(date.getMonth() + 1).padStart(2, '0');
  const day = String(date.getDate()).padStart(2, '0');

  return `${year}-${month}-${day}`;
}

// Example usage
const today = new Date();
const formattedDate = formatDateToYYYYMMDD(today);
console.log(formattedDate); 
// Output: "2023-08-20"
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Method 2: Using toLocaleDateString()

The native toLocaleDateString() method provides an alternative way to format dates:

function formatDateToYYYYMMDD(date) {
  return date.toLocaleDateString('en-GB'); 
// 'en-GB' specifies the desired format
}

// Example usage
const today = new Date();
const formattedDate = formatDateToYYYYMMDD(today);
console.log(formattedDate); 
// Output: "2023-08-20"
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

By providing the locale code 'en-GB', you can achieve the yyyy-mm-dd format.

Method 3: Harnessing External Libraries

For more advanced capabilities and flexibility, external libraries like date-fns and luxon come into play.

3.1 Using date-fns

date-fns is a versatile library designed for efficient date handling. Format a date as yyyy-mm-dd using date-fns:

Install date-fns: Start by installing the date-fns library using npm or yarn:

npm install date-fns

Import and Use the Library:

const { format } = require('date-fns');

function formatDateToYYYYMMDD(date) {
  return format(date, 'yyyy-MM-dd');
}

// Example usage
const today = new Date();
const formattedDate = formatDateToYYYYMMDD(today);
console.log(formattedDate); 
// Output: "2023-08-20"
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

3.2 Using luxon

luxon is another powerful library known for its robust date manipulation features:

Install luxon: Start by installing the luxon library using npm or yarn:

npm install luxon

Import and Use the Library:

const { DateTime } = require('luxon');

function formatDateToYYYYMMDD(date) {
  return DateTime.fromJSDate(date).toFormat('yyyy-MM-dd');
}

// Example usage
const today = new Date();
const formattedDate = formatDateToYYYYMMDD(today);
console.log(formattedDate); 
// Output: "2023-08-20"
Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Choosing the Right Method

Your choice of method depends on your project’s complexity and requirements. If simplicity and lightweight code are priorities, native methods or toLocaleDateString() might be enough.

However, for projects involving intricate date manipulation or internationalization, consider using external libraries like date-fns or luxon.

In the end, your goal remains consistent: to effectively format dates in the yyyy-mm-dd style, ensuring both user-friendly presentation and streamlined data handling.