What is the ISO date format in JavaScript?

The ISO date format in JavaScript, representing the international standard, is "YYYY-MM-DD".

Here's a more detailed explanation:

JavaScript's Date object offers flexibility in how you represent dates. The ISO 8601 format is a standardized way to represent dates and times, and it's often preferred for data exchange and storage due to its unambiguous nature.

ISO Date Format:

• Basic format: YYYY-MM-DD
  • YYYY: Represents the year (e.g., 2024).
  • MM: Represents the month (01 for January, 12 for December).
  • DD: Represents the day of the month (01 to 31).

Example:

const isoDateString = "2024-01-20";
const date = new Date(isoDateString);

console.log(date); // Output: Sat Jan 20 2024 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) - The exact output will vary based on the timezone.

Variations:

The ISO 8601 standard also allows for variations, including:

• Date and Time: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ
  • T: Separates the date and time parts.
  • HH: Represents the hour (00 to 23).
  • mm: Represents the minutes (00 to 59).
  • ss: Represents the seconds (00 to 59).
  • .sss: Represents milliseconds (optional).
  • Z: Indicates UTC timezone (Zulu time). You can also use +HH:mm or -HH:mm to indicate other timezones.

Example with Time:

const isoDateTimeString = "2024-01-20T10:30:00Z";
const dateTime = new Date(isoDateTimeString);

console.log(dateTime); // Output: Sat Jan 20 2024 10:30:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Other Date Formats in JavaScript (for comparison):

While ISO format is standard, JavaScript also supports other date formats, but they can be less reliable due to browser-specific interpretations:

In summary, the preferred and standard ISO date format in JavaScript is YYYY-MM-DD, and for date and time it's YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ. This format provides a clear and unambiguous way to represent dates and times, minimizing potential interpretation issues.