date-fns vs moment vs luxon vs rome
JavaScript Date Manipulation Libraries Comparison
1 Year
date-fnsmomentluxonromeSimilar Packages:
What's JavaScript Date Manipulation Libraries?

JavaScript date manipulation libraries provide developers with tools to handle, manipulate, and format dates and times in a more manageable way than the native Date object. These libraries simplify common tasks such as parsing, formatting, and manipulating dates, while also addressing issues related to time zones and localization. By using these libraries, developers can avoid common pitfalls associated with date handling, such as timezone discrepancies and date arithmetic errors, ultimately leading to more reliable and maintainable code.

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date-fns26,418,81535,40522.6 MB7976 months agoMIT
moment23,021,03748,0784.35 MB276a year agoMIT
luxon12,248,36315,7244.48 MB1887 months agoMIT
rome14,77323,66551.8 kB942 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: date-fns vs moment vs luxon vs rome

Size and Performance

  • date-fns:

    date-fns is designed to be lightweight, with a modular approach that allows you to import only the functions you need, resulting in smaller bundle sizes and improved performance.

  • moment:

    Moment.js is known for its comprehensive functionality but is relatively large in size. It can impact performance, especially in applications where bundle size is a concern.

  • luxon:

    Luxon is larger than date-fns but offers a rich set of features for handling dates and times, including time zone support. Its performance is generally good, but it may not be as lightweight as date-fns.

  • rome:

    Rome is built with performance in mind and aims to be faster than Moment.js while providing a modern API. Its focus on immutability can also lead to better performance in certain scenarios.

Time Zone Support

  • date-fns:

    date-fns has limited built-in support for time zones, relying on external libraries like date-fns-tz for more advanced functionality.

  • moment:

    Moment.js has comprehensive time zone support through the Moment Timezone add-on, but it can be cumbersome and less efficient compared to newer libraries.

  • luxon:

    Luxon excels in time zone handling, allowing for easy conversions and manipulations across different time zones, making it ideal for applications that require precise time zone management.

  • rome:

    Rome provides time zone support and aims to simplify the complexities of working with time zones, offering a modern approach to date and time manipulation.

Immutability

  • date-fns:

    date-fns functions are pure and return new instances rather than modifying the original date objects, promoting immutability in your code.

  • moment:

    Moment.js modifies the original date objects, which can lead to bugs if not handled carefully. This mutability can complicate state management in applications.

  • luxon:

    Luxon embraces immutability, ensuring that date and time objects are not altered after creation, which helps prevent unintended side effects in your applications.

  • rome:

    Rome is designed with immutability as a core principle, ensuring that all date manipulations return new instances, which enhances predictability and reduces bugs.

Localization

  • date-fns:

    date-fns offers localization support, allowing you to format dates in different languages, but it requires additional setup for full internationalization.

  • moment:

    Moment.js has robust localization capabilities, supporting numerous languages and formats, but it may be overkill for simpler applications.

  • luxon:

    Luxon provides excellent localization features, making it easy to format dates and times according to different locales and cultural conventions.

  • rome:

    Rome aims to provide a consistent localization experience, focusing on modern standards and practices for internationalization.

Learning Curve

  • date-fns:

    date-fns has a relatively low learning curve, especially for developers familiar with functional programming concepts, making it easy to pick up and use effectively.

  • moment:

    Moment.js is well-documented and widely used, but its extensive features can be overwhelming for newcomers, leading to a steeper learning curve.

  • luxon:

    Luxon has a moderate learning curve due to its rich API, but its clear documentation and intuitive design help ease the learning process.

  • rome:

    Rome is designed to be user-friendly, with a modern API that is easier to learn compared to older libraries, making it a good choice for new developers.

How to Choose: date-fns vs moment vs luxon vs rome
  • date-fns:

    Choose date-fns if you prefer a lightweight library that emphasizes functional programming and modularity. It offers a wide range of functions that can be imported individually, allowing for tree-shaking and minimizing bundle size.

  • moment:

    Choose Moment.js if you require a comprehensive and well-established library with extensive functionality for date manipulation. However, be aware of its larger size and consider its deprecation in favor of more modern alternatives for new projects.

  • luxon:

    Choose Luxon if you need robust support for time zones and internationalization. It provides a rich API for working with dates and times, including formatting, parsing, and manipulating dates, while also handling time zone conversions seamlessly.

  • rome:

    Choose Rome if you are looking for a modern library that focuses on immutability and a comprehensive approach to date and time manipulation. It aims to provide a more consistent API and better performance compared to older libraries.

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