How to get a timestamp in JavaScript: 5 simple ways

How to get a timestamp in JavaScript: 5 ways with examples

Every developer has at least once faced the task: you need to save a moment in time, compare dates, or send data to a server. And here timestamp in JavaScript comes to the rescue — a universal time marker understood by all systems. In this guide, I will show 5 proven ways to get a timestamp, break down their pros and cons, and answer popular questions from Stack Overflow.

If you have ever Googled "how do I get a timestamp in JavaScript" — you are not alone. Thousands of developers search for this answer every day. Let's finally figure out this topic once and for all.

What is a timestamp and why is it needed?

A timestamp is the number of milliseconds that have passed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. This date is called the Unix epoch. Why is this needed?

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• Universality: a timestamp does not depend on the time zone — it is pure UTC.
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• Ease of storage: a single number instead of a date string.
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• Comparison: it's easy to calculate the difference between two moments in time.
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• Compatibility: timestamps are understood by all programming languages and databases.
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Now let's move on to the most interesting part — how to get it in JavaScript.

Method 1: Date.now() — the fastest and most concise

This is my favorite method. Date.now() returns the timestamp in milliseconds right now. No extra objects, no constructors — just a number.

// Get the current timestamp\nconst currentTimestamp = Date.now();\nconsole.log(currentTimestamp); // 1712345678901\n\n// Can be used immediately for measurements\nconst start = Date.now();\n// ... some code ...\nconst end = Date.now();\nconsole.log(`Execution took ${end - start} ms`);\n

Pros:

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• Maximum performance (no object creation)
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• Readable and short code
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• Supported in all modern browsers and Node.js
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Cons:

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• Returns only the current moment (cannot set a date)
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Use Date.now() when you need the current timestamp in JavaScript without any extra effort.

Method 2: new Date().getTime() — a classic

This method is familiar to everyone who has worked with JavaScript for more than a year. Create a Date object and call getTime().

// Get timestamp via Date object\nconst timestamp = new Date().getTime();\nconsole.log(timestamp); // 1712345678901\n\n// You can get a timestamp for a specific date\nconst specificDate = new Date('2024-12-31T23:59:59');\nconst specificTimestamp = specificDate.getTime();\nconsole.log(specificTimestamp); // 1735689599000\n

Pros:

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• You can get a timestamp for an arbitrary date
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• Backward compatibility (works in older browsers)
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• Intuitive syntax
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Cons:

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• Creates an extra object (slightly slower than Date.now())
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Choose new Date().getTime() when you need to get a JavaScript timestamp for a specific date or work with different moments in time.

Method 3: +new Date() — the unary plus hack

Few people know, but the unary plus converts a Date object into a number — its timestamp. This works due to forced type coercion.

// Short but not obvious way\nconst timestamp = +new Date();\nconsole.log(timestamp); // 1712345678901\n\n// You can even omit the parentheses\nconst timestamp2 = +new Date;\nconsole.log(timestamp2); // 1712345678902\n

Pros:

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• Very short notation