Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Day.js VS date-fns

Compare Day.js VS date-fns and see what are their differences

Day.js logo Day.js

2kB JavaScript date utility library

date-fns logo date-fns

date-fns provides the most comprehensive yet simple and consistent toolset for manipulating JavaScript dates in a browser & Node.js.
  • Day.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-11
  • date-fns Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-30

Day.js features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Day.js is a small library, approximately 2KB in size, which makes it ideal for projects that require minimal impact on load times and performance.
  • Immutable API
    Day.js uses an immutable API which avoids modifying the original date objects. This helps in preventing unexpected side effects and makes the code more reliable.
  • Familiar API
    Day.js has an API similar to Moment.js, which makes it easier for developers who have used Moment.js to transition or use alongside Day.js.
  • Plugin System
    Day.js offers a flexible plugin system, allowing developers to add only the functionalities they need, keeping the library lightweight and customizable.
  • No Dependencies
    Day.js does not rely on any external dependencies, reducing potential vulnerabilities and keeping the code base clean.

Possible disadvantages of Day.js

  • Limited Out-of-the-box Features
    Day.js, being lightweight, offers fewer built-in features than some larger libraries like Moment.js. Developers often need to use plugins to access additional functionalities.
  • Edge Case Handling
    Day.js may not cover as many edge cases as some other more comprehensive date libraries, particularly those that deal with internationalization and timezone complexities.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    While growing, Day.js might have a smaller community and fewer third-party integrations compared to older libraries like Moment.js.
  • Time Zone Support
    Day.js has basic timezone support through plugins, but it may not be as intuitive or comprehensive as libraries specifically designed for timezone handling.

date-fns features and specs

  • Lightweight
    date-fns is designed to be lightweight, with a modular structure that allows developers to only import the functions they need, reducing overall bundle size.
  • Modular
    The library is highly modular, which means you can include only the specific functionalities you need, leading to better optimization and faster load times for your applications.
  • Immutable
    date-fns functions operate in an immutable way, meaning they do not change the original date objects but return new date objects, avoiding potential side effects.
  • Comprehensive
    date-fns provides a comprehensive set of date-related functions, covering a wide range of use cases from simple date manipulation to complex date calculations.
  • Localization
    The library has built-in support for internationalization and localization, making it easier to format dates in various locales and languages.
  • Ease of Use
    With a consistent and straightforward API, date-fns is easy to learn and use, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced developers.
  • Well-maintained
    date-fns is actively maintained with frequent updates and a supportive community, ensuring it stays up-to-date with the latest JavaScript standards and practices.

Possible disadvantages of date-fns

  • Not as Rich as Moment.js
    Compared to Moment.js, date-fns lacks some of the more advanced date manipulation features and utilities, potentially requiring additional work for certain use cases.
  • Learning Curve
    While simpler than some alternatives, there is still a learning curve to fully understand and utilize the modular approach and various functions provided by date-fns.
  • No Time Zones Support
    Date-fns does not provide built-in support for time zones, which can be a limitation for applications that require robust time zone handling.
  • Function Overhead
    The functional approach, while flexible, can lead to a higher overhead in function calls compared to some object-oriented approaches, potentially impacting performance in heavily date-manipulation-centric applications.
  • Dependency Management
    Because of its modularity, managing imports and ensuring all necessary parts of the library are included can sometimes be cumbersome and error-prone.
  • Interoperability
    Interoperability with other date libraries is not always straightforward, and transitioning from libraries like Moment.js can require significant code changes.

Analysis of date-fns

Overall verdict

  • Yes, date-fns is a good choice for date manipulation in JavaScript applications. It is efficient, lightweight, and well-maintained, making it suitable for both small and large projects.

Why this product is good

  • Date-fns is considered a good library because it offers over 200 functions for manipulating JavaScript dates in a consistent and reliable manner. It focuses on immutability and provides a functional approach to date manipulation, which can help avoid common pitfalls associated with mutable objects. It's also modular, allowing developers to include only the functions they need, reducing the overall bundle size.

Recommended for

  • Developers seeking a lightweight, modular date library.
  • Projects where tree-shaking capabilities are important to reduce bundle size.
  • Teams that prefer a functional programming approach to date manipulation.
  • Applications needing comprehensive date manipulation capabilities without the overhead of larger libraries like Moment.js.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Day.js and date-fns)
Javascript UI Libraries
43 43%
57% 57
JS Library
43 43%
57% 57
Web Frameworks
43 43%
57% 57
Developer Tools
42 42%
58% 58

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, date-fns should be more popular than Day.js. It has been mentiond 77 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Day.js mentions (40)

  • Getting started with Zustand state management for React
    In keeping with our functional style of programming, we create a new array with the added or removed bookmark each time we add or remove one. Note I have added a third key/value pair to the bookmarks array, dateAdded, but you can disregard that. If you do want this same functionality don't forget to install and import Day.js. Next I will add the partial persistence code:. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Say Goodbye to JavaScript’s DST Date Confusion
    These issues can also occur in date-time libraries such as moment.js, date-fns, Day.js, and luxon. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • JavaScript Temporal Is Coming
    The author spells out a few pitfalls of Moment's design and why they're not addressing these as well as alternatives (Luxon, Day.js, date-fns, js-Joda) I've switched to Day.js instead[1] [0] https://momentjs.com/docs/#/-project-status/ [1] https://day.js.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • React Custom Hooks vs. Helper Functions - When To Use Both
    In this code snippet, we use the Javascript date library Day.js to parse and format the date, which gives us a more powerful method for formatting our dates. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • You're parsing URLs wrong.
    The fact that moment.js or day.js needs to exist in 2024 bothers me a lot. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
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date-fns mentions (77)

  • Supporting RTL language layout in your web application
    You can also choose to use a library like date-fns to handle date and time localization. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Say Goodbye to JavaScript’s DST Date Confusion
    These issues can also occur in date-time libraries such as moment.js, date-fns, Day.js, and luxon. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Day 8: D-8 🎱
    Do you know how many days left till Christmas? Well this little handy library certainly does! - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Release Radar · September 2024: Major updates from the open source community
    JavaScript seems to be the flavour of the month, and here's another JavaScript project for you. date-fns provides the most comprehensive and consistent toolset for manipulating JavaScript dates in a browser & Node.js. The latest version comes ten years after the very first release. There are no breaking changes in the release, and it comes with added time zone support, meaning you can select which time zone to... - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Date Formatting: Carbon, date-fns, and Vanilla JS
    Working with dates and times is an essential part of web development. Whether you're building a blog, an e-commerce site, or a personal project, handling and formatting dates correctly can greatly enhance user experience. In this blog, we'll explore date formatting using three different methods: Carbon (PHP), date-fns (JavaScript), and Vanilla JS Date. We'll provide examples for each to help you understand how to... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Day.js and date-fns, you can also consider the following products

Moment.js - Parse, validate, manipulate, and display dates in JavaScript

Luxon - Application and Data, Libraries, and Javascript Utilities & Libraries

js-Joda - Immutable date and time library for JavaScript

Nuxt.js - Nuxt.js presets all the configuration needed to make your development of a Vue.js application enjoyable. It's a perfect static site generator.

Next.js - A small framework for server-rendered universal JavaScript apps

Yii Framework - Yii is a high-performance component-based PHP framework best for Web 2.0 development.