How can I convert a normal date, like 2012.08.10, to a Unix timestamp in JavaScript?

General Discussions
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1

I am looking for a simple way to convert a javascript date to unix timestamp.

Here’s an example: JSFiddle.

2

Using Date.parse() is simple and effective:

const dateString = "2012.08.10";
const date = new Date(dateString);
const timestamp = date.getTime();
console.log(timestamp); // Unix timestamp (milliseconds)

Date.parse() automatically converts a valid date string into a Date object, and getTime() provides the Unix timestamp in milliseconds. Easy and works well for most date formats.

3

A direct approach is to use new Date() :

const dateString = "2012.08.10";
const date = new Date(dateString);
const timestamp = date.getTime() / 1000; // Convert milliseconds to seconds
console.log(timestamp); //

With the Unix timestamp (seconds), you can directly create a Date object from a date string and use getTime() to get the timestamp in milliseconds. Dividing by 1000 converts it to seconds, which is the typical Unix timestamp format.

4

If your date string isn’t automatically recognized by JavaScript, you can manually parse it as a fallback to handle custom date formats :

const dateString = "2012.08.10";
const [year, month, day] = dateString.split('.').map(Number);
const date = new Date(year, month - 1, day); // Month is 0-based
const timestamp = date.getTime() / 1000;
console.log(timestamp); // Unix timestamp (seconds)

If the date format is non-standard or not recognized by JavaScript, manually splitting and parsing the date string ensures compatibility.