JavaScript date parse() method

The Date.parse() method in JavaScript is used to parse a string representation of a date and time and convert it into a timestamp value.

The Date.parse() method accepts a date string as its parameter and returns the number of milliseconds elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC (also known as the Unix timestamp).

Here’s an example of using the Date.parse() method:

var dateString = '2022-05-15T12:30:00';
var timestamp = Date.parse(dateString);
console.log(timestamp); // Output: 1657915800000

In this example, the dateString variable contains a string representation of a specific date and time. The Date.parse() method is called with the dateString as the parameter, and it returns the corresponding timestamp value.

It’s important to note that the Date.parse() method uses the ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss) by default. However, it can also parse other date formats, including RFC 2822 and IETF-compliant RFC 3339 formats.

If the Date.parse() method is unable to parse the given date string, it will return NaN (Not a Number).

It’s worth mentioning that the Date.parse() method can be inconsistent across different browsers and environments due to variations in date formats and timezone handling. Therefore, it’s recommended to use a dedicated library like Moment.js or the native Date constructor with specific date parsing methods for better cross-browser compatibility and flexibility in handling different date formats.