compare dates in javascript

Comparing dates in JavaScript is an essential task that often arises in web development. This article is designed to provide a simple comprehension of how to carry out this operation using straightforward and easily understandable examples.

Code snippet: Comparing Dates in JavaScript

const date1 = new Date('2020-12-17T03:24:00');
const date2 = new Date('2021-01-15T03:24:00');

if(date1 < date2) {
  console.log("date1 is less than date2");
} else if(date1 > date2) {
  console.log("date1 is more than date2");
} else {
console.log("dates are equal");
}

Code Explanation for Comparing Dates in JavaScript

In the provided JavaScript code, we’re comparing two dates to see if one is greater, less or equal to the other. Below is a step-by-step breakdown of how this works:

1. First of all, we declare two constants named date1 and date2 using the new Date() constructor. The Date() constructor creates a new date object with the date and time defined as a string (‘YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS’).

const date1 = new Date('2020-12-17T03:24:00');
const date2 = new Date('2021-01-15T03:24:00');

2. Next, we use an if statement to check if date1 is less than date2. If it is, the message “date1 is less than date2” will be printed in the console.

if(date1 < date2) {
  console.log("date1 is less than date2");
}

3. We use an else-if statement next to check if date1 is greater than date2. If this is true, then “date1 is more than date2” will be logged to the console.

else if(date1 > date2) {
  console.log("date1 is more than date2");
} 

4. Lastly, if neither of the above conditions are met, it means that both dates are equal and consequently the message “dates are equal” will be printed to the console.

else {
  console.log("dates are equal");
}

This way, you can easily compare two dates in JavaScript. Remember, when comparing dates the JavaScript’s Date object does the heavy lifting, converting date strings into date-time representations that can be objectively compared. This is a basic example and can be tailored to suit specific requirement in applications.