Which is Better JavaScript Date Manipulation Libraries?
date-fns vs dayjs vs luxon
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What's JavaScript Date Manipulation Libraries?

JavaScript date manipulation libraries provide developers with tools to handle date and time operations more efficiently than using the built-in Date object. These libraries simplify tasks such as formatting, parsing, and manipulating dates, while also addressing issues like time zones and localization. Each library has its own strengths, catering to different use cases and preferences, making it crucial for developers to choose the right one based on their project requirements.

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date-fns22,050,96134,83722.6 MB7622 months agoMIT
dayjs20,645,57346,972670 kB1,0263 months agoMIT
luxon9,371,90115,4134.48 MB1833 months agoMIT
Feature Comparison: date-fns vs dayjs vs luxon

Size and Performance

  • date-fns: date-fns is designed to be lightweight and modular, allowing developers to import only the functions they need. This results in smaller bundle sizes and improved performance, especially in applications where minimizing load time is crucial.
  • dayjs: Day.js is extremely lightweight, with a minimal footprint of around 2KB. It is optimized for performance and speed, making it a great choice for applications that require quick date manipulations without sacrificing functionality.
  • luxon: Luxon is larger than both date-fns and Day.js, but it provides extensive features for date manipulation and time zone handling. While it may not be as lightweight, its performance is still competitive for applications that require complex date operations.

API Design

  • date-fns: date-fns follows a functional programming paradigm, providing a set of pure functions that operate on dates. This design promotes immutability and allows for easier testing and debugging, as functions do not have side effects and return new date instances instead of modifying existing ones.
  • dayjs: Day.js offers a simple and intuitive API that closely resembles Moment.js, making it easy for developers familiar with Moment.js to transition. Its chainable methods provide a fluent interface for date manipulation, enhancing developer experience.
  • luxon: Luxon's API is designed with modern JavaScript in mind, leveraging classes and methods that provide a clear and expressive way to work with dates and times. It emphasizes readability and usability, making it easy to perform complex date operations.

Time Zone Support

  • date-fns: date-fns has limited built-in support for time zones, mainly relying on the native Date object. For advanced time zone handling, additional libraries like date-fns-tz are required, which may complicate usage for developers needing extensive time zone functionality.
  • dayjs: Day.js offers time zone support through a plugin, making it flexible for those who need it without adding unnecessary bloat. However, users must be aware that time zone functionality is not included by default and requires additional setup.
  • luxon: Luxon excels in time zone support, built on the Intl API, allowing for seamless manipulation of dates across different time zones. It provides robust features for converting between time zones and formatting dates accordingly, making it ideal for global applications.

Localization

  • date-fns: date-fns provides localization support through its modular functions, allowing developers to format dates in various locales. However, it requires additional configuration to set up localization, which may be a drawback for some projects.
  • dayjs: Day.js includes localization support, allowing developers to easily format dates in different languages. It provides a straightforward way to switch locales, making it user-friendly for international applications.
  • luxon: Luxon has built-in support for internationalization and localization, leveraging the Intl API to format dates and times according to the user's locale. This makes it a powerful choice for applications that need to cater to diverse audiences.

Learning Curve

  • date-fns: date-fns has a relatively gentle learning curve, especially for developers familiar with functional programming concepts. Its modular approach allows for a gradual introduction to date manipulation without overwhelming new users.
  • dayjs: Day.js is designed to be easy to learn, especially for those coming from Moment.js. Its familiar API and straightforward methods make it accessible for developers of all skill levels.
  • luxon: Luxon may have a steeper learning curve due to its comprehensive feature set and modern API design. However, once understood, it offers powerful capabilities for handling complex date and time scenarios.
How to Choose: date-fns vs dayjs vs luxon
  • date-fns: Choose date-fns if you prefer a functional programming approach with a modular design that allows you to import only the functions you need, leading to smaller bundle sizes. It is also great for projects that require extensive date manipulation without the overhead of a larger library.
  • dayjs: Choose Day.js if you want a lightweight library that mimics the API of Moment.js, making it easy to switch from Moment.js while maintaining familiarity. It is ideal for projects that need a simple and fast solution for date manipulation without the complexity of larger libraries.
  • luxon: Choose Luxon if you need comprehensive support for time zones and internationalization. It is built on the modern Intl API and offers a rich set of features for working with dates and times, making it suitable for applications that require precise date handling across different locales.
Similar Npm Packages to date-fns

date-fns is a popular JavaScript library for manipulating and formatting dates. It provides a comprehensive set of functions that allow developers to work with dates in a functional programming style. With its modular approach, you can import only the functions you need, making it lightweight and efficient. date-fns is known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a great choice for both small and large projects.

While date-fns is a powerful option for date manipulation, there are several alternatives in the JavaScript ecosystem that also provide date handling capabilities. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • datejs is a JavaScript library that provides a comprehensive set of date manipulation functions. It offers a simple and intuitive API for parsing, formatting, and manipulating dates. datejs is particularly useful for developers who need to work with various date formats and perform complex date calculations. However, it may not be as lightweight as some other libraries, making it more suitable for projects where extensive date manipulation is required.

  • dayjs is a minimalist JavaScript library that offers a simple and fast alternative to Moment.js. It has a similar API to Moment.js, making it easy to switch for those familiar with it. dayjs is designed to be small in size and provides a wide range of date manipulation functions. If you're looking for a lightweight library with a familiar API, dayjs is an excellent choice.

  • luxon is a powerful library for working with dates and times in JavaScript. It is built on the modern JavaScript Date API and provides a rich set of features for date manipulation, formatting, and time zone handling. luxon is particularly useful for applications that require robust time zone support and internationalization. If your project involves complex date and time requirements, luxon is a strong contender.

  • moment is one of the most well-known date manipulation libraries in the JavaScript ecosystem. It provides a comprehensive set of features for parsing, validating, manipulating, and formatting dates. However, it has become less favored in recent years due to its larger size and performance concerns compared to newer libraries. While moment is still widely used, developers are increasingly turning to lighter alternatives like date-fns and dayjs.

To see how date-fns compares with datejs, dayjs, luxon, and moment, check out the comparison: Comparing date-fns vs datejs vs dayjs vs luxon vs moment.

Similar Npm Packages to dayjs

dayjs is a lightweight JavaScript library for parsing, validating, manipulating, and formatting dates. It is designed to be a modern alternative to Moment.js, providing a similar API while being significantly smaller in size. Day.js is particularly useful for developers looking for a simple and efficient way to handle dates without the overhead of larger libraries. Its immutable data structures and plugin system allow for extensibility and flexibility, making it a popular choice for date manipulation in web applications.

However, there are several alternatives to Day.js that also provide robust date handling capabilities:

  • date-fns is a popular date utility library that offers a comprehensive set of functions for date manipulation. Unlike Day.js, which provides an object-oriented approach, date-fns takes a functional programming approach, allowing developers to import only the functions they need. This modular design results in a smaller bundle size and better performance. If you prefer a functional style and want to avoid the overhead of a full library, date-fns is an excellent choice.

  • js-joda is a date and time library that is inspired by the Java 8 Date and Time API. It provides a comprehensive set of features for working with dates and times, including support for time zones and durations. js-joda is particularly useful for applications that require precise date and time calculations or need to handle complex date scenarios. If you are familiar with the Java Date and Time API, js-joda may feel more intuitive.

  • luxon is a powerful library for working with dates and times in JavaScript. Created by one of the Moment.js developers, Luxon provides a rich set of features, including time zone support, localization, and formatting. It is built on the modern JavaScript Date API and offers an easy-to-use API for manipulating dates and times. If you need advanced features like time zone handling and localization, Luxon is a great option.

  • moment is one of the most well-known date libraries in the JavaScript ecosystem. While it has been widely used for many years, it is larger in size compared to newer libraries like Day.js and date-fns. Moment.js provides a comprehensive set of features for date manipulation, but due to its size and performance concerns, it is recommended to consider lighter alternatives for new projects.

To see how Day.js compares with date-fns, js-joda, Luxon, and Moment, check out the comparison: Comparing date-fns vs dayjs vs js-joda vs luxon vs moment.

Similar Npm Packages to luxon

luxon is a powerful library for working with dates and times in JavaScript. It provides a comprehensive set of features for parsing, formatting, and manipulating dates and times, making it an excellent choice for applications that require robust date handling. Luxon is built on the modern JavaScript Date API and offers a more intuitive and user-friendly interface compared to the native Date object. It also supports time zones, which is a significant advantage for applications that need to handle dates and times across different regions.

While Luxon is a great option for date and time manipulation, there are several alternatives that developers can consider:

  • date-fns is a popular library that offers a modular approach to date manipulation. It provides a wide range of functions for formatting, parsing, and manipulating dates, allowing developers to import only the functions they need. This modularity helps keep bundle sizes small and improves performance. If you prefer a functional programming style and want to avoid the overhead of a large library, date-fns is an excellent choice.
  • dayjs is another lightweight alternative to Luxon that offers a simple and elegant API for date manipulation. It is designed to be a drop-in replacement for Moment.js, providing similar functionality with a much smaller footprint. Day.js is particularly useful for projects that require a minimalistic approach to date handling without sacrificing performance. Its API is easy to use, making it a great choice for developers looking for a straightforward solution.

To see how Luxon compares with date-fns and dayjs, check out the comparison: Comparing luxon vs date-fns vs dayjs.

README for date-fns

🔥️ NEW: date-fns v4.0 with first-class time zone support is out!

date-fns

date-fns provides the most comprehensive, yet simple and consistent toolset for manipulating JavaScript dates in a browser & Node.js

👉 Documentation

👉 Blog

It's like Lodash for dates

  • It has 200+ functions for all occasions.
  • Modular: Pick what you need. Works with webpack, Browserify, or Rollup and also supports tree-shaking.
  • Native dates: Uses existing native type. It doesn't extend core objects for safety's sake.
  • Immutable & Pure: Built using pure functions and always returns a new date instance.
  • TypeScript: The library is 100% TypeScript with brand-new handcrafted types.
  • I18n: Dozens of locales. Include only what you need.
  • and many more benefits
import { compareAsc, format } from "date-fns";

format(new Date(2014, 1, 11), "yyyy-MM-dd");
//=> '2014-02-11'

const dates = [
  new Date(1995, 6, 2),
  new Date(1987, 1, 11),
  new Date(1989, 6, 10),
];
dates.sort(compareAsc);
//=> [
//   Wed Feb 11 1987 00:00:00,
//   Mon Jul 10 1989 00:00:00,
//   Sun Jul 02 1995 00:00:00
// ]

The library is available as an npm package. To install the package run:

npm install date-fns --save

Docs

See date-fns.org for more details, API, and other docs.


License

MIT © Sasha Koss

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