How to Compare Dates in JavaScript: Check Date Ranges Easily

Working with dates is an essential part of web development. At some point, you may need to check if a given date falls between two other dates. In this article, we will explore how to accomplish this task using JavaScript.

There are a few different approaches to checking if a date is between two other dates, but we will focus on the most straightforward method using the built-in Date object and its getTime() method. The getTime() method returns the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970, which is also known as the Unix timestamp.

Let's start with a simple example:

const date = new Date('2022-02-20');
const startDate = new Date('2022-01-01');
const endDate = new Date('2022-12-31');

if (date.getTime() >= startDate.getTime() && date.getTime() <= endDate.getTime()) {
  console.log('The date falls between the start and end dates.');
} else {
  console.log('The date does not fall between the start and end dates.');
}

In this example, we first create a new Date object for the date we want to check 2022-02-20. We then create new Date objects for the start and end dates 2022-01-01 and 2022-12-31, respectively.

We then use the getTime() method to compare the timestamps of each date. If the timestamp of the date we want to check falls between the timestamps of the start and end dates, we log a message indicating that the date falls between the start and end dates. Otherwise, we log a message indicating that the date does not fall between the start and end dates.

It's worth noting that the Date object can parse a wide variety of date formats, so you can use this method with dates in any format that the Date object can parse.

You can also simplify the above code:

if (startDate <= date && date <= endDate) {
  console.log('The date falls between the start and end dates.');
} else {
  console.log('The date does not fall between the start and end dates.');
}

In this example, we simply check if startDate is less than or equal to date AND date is less than or equal to endDate. If both conditions are true, we log a message indicating that the date falls between the start and end dates. Otherwise, we log a message indicating that the date does not fall between the start and end dates.

Refactor to function

const isBetweenDates = (startDate, endDate, date) => {
  return date.getTime() >= startDate.getTime() && date.getTime() <= endDate.getTime();
}

RESULT

isBetweenDates(
  new Date(2010, 11, 20),
  new Date(2010, 11, 30),
  new Date(2010, 11, 19)
); // false

isBetweenDates(
  new Date(2010, 11, 20),
  new Date(2010, 11, 30),
  new Date(2010, 11, 25)
); // true

Conclusion

Checking if a date falls between two other dates in JavaScript is a straightforward process using the Date object and its getTime() method. By comparing the timestamps of the dates, you can easily determine whether a given date falls between two other dates.

Check if date is between two dates

Refactor to function

Conclusion