How To Format JavaScript Date as yyyy-mm-dd?

We use JavaScript built-in help methods from the Date class that help us to create a formatted version of the current date in the form of yyyy-mm-dd.

These are the approaches used to format JavaScript date as yyyy-mm-dd.

1. Using the ISO String Method

The original method using the ISO string does not account for time zone differences. Here's how you can use toLocaleDateString() instead, which provides a more accurate result, taking into account the local time zone.

Example: In this example, we will use the iso string method to format the JavaScript date as yyyy-mm-dd

const formatDateISO = (date) => {
    return date.toLocaleDateString('en-CA');  
};

const currentDate = new Date();
console.log(formatDateISO(currentDate));  

Output

2024-09-25

2. Using JavaScript Method

• In this method, we will use the methods of JS to calculate year, month, and date.
• Further for date and month, for a single digit number, we will use padstart, which would add 0 to the start of the number if it is a number with less than 2 digits.
• Use a variable to combine all of these variables and print the formatted date.

Example: In this example, we will use the javascript method to format the JavaScript date as yyyy-mm-dd

const formatDate = (date) => {
    const year = date.getFullYear();
    const month = String(date.getMonth() + 1).padStart(2, '0'); // Months are 0-indexed
    const day = String(date.getDate()).padStart(2, '0');

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

// Example usage
const currentDate = new Date();
console.log(formatDate(currentDate));

Output

2024-09-25