Get Difference Between 2 Dates in Javascript

Get difference between 2 dates in JavaScript

Working with dates and calculating the difference between them is a common task in JavaScript. In this blog post, we will explore different approaches to get the difference between two dates in JavaScript.

Method 1: Using the getTime() method

The getTime() method returns the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970, for a specified date. By subtracting the getTime() values of the two dates, we can calculate the difference in milliseconds.

// Example dates
const date1 = new Date('2022-01-01');
const date2 = new Date('2022-01-10');

// Calculate the difference in milliseconds
const differenceInMilliseconds = date2.getTime() - date1.getTime();

// Convert milliseconds to days
const differenceInDays = differenceInMilliseconds / (1000 * 3600 * 24);

console.log('Difference in days:', differenceInDays);

The above code snippet calculates the difference in days between two dates using the getTime() method. You can replace the example dates with your own dates to get the desired result.

Method 2: Using the getTime() and Math.abs() methods

If you want to get the absolute difference between two dates, you can use the Math.abs() method along with the getTime() method.

// Example dates
const date1 = new Date('2022-01-01');
const date2 = new Date('2022-01-10');

// Calculate the absolute difference in milliseconds
const differenceInMilliseconds = Math.abs(date2.getTime() - date1.getTime());

// Convert milliseconds to days
const differenceInDays = differenceInMilliseconds / (1000 * 3600 * 24);

console.log('Absolute difference in days:', differenceInDays);

The above code snippet calculates the absolute difference in days between two dates using the getTime() and Math.abs() methods. Again, you can replace the example dates with your own dates.

Method 3: Using the Date.UTC() method

The Date.UTC() method returns the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970, for a specified date and time, specified as a year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. By subtracting the Date.UTC() values of the two dates, we can calculate the difference in milliseconds.

// Example dates
const date1 = new Date('2022-01-01');
const date2 = new Date('2022-01-10');

// Calculate the difference in milliseconds using Date.UTC()
const differenceInMilliseconds = Date.UTC(date2.getFullYear(), date2.getMonth(), date2.getDate()) - Date.UTC(date1.getFullYear(), date1.getMonth(), date1.getDate());

// Convert milliseconds to days
const differenceInDays = differenceInMilliseconds / (1000 * 3600 * 24);

console.log('Difference in days:', differenceInDays);

The above code snippet calculates the difference in days between two dates using the Date.UTC() method. Once again, you can replace the example dates with your own dates.

These are three different methods to get the difference between two dates in JavaScript. Choose the method that suits your specific requirements and implement it accordingly.

Remember to always test your code with different scenarios and edge cases to ensure its accuracy and reliability.

That’s it for this blog post! We hope you found it helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below.

Get Difference Between 2 Dates in Javascript