dayjs

Pros of Moment

• More mature and battle-tested library with a longer history
• Extensive localization support for many languages and cultures
• Rich ecosystem of plugins and extensions

Cons of Moment

• Larger bundle size, which can impact performance in web applications
• Mutable API design, which can lead to unexpected side effects
• No longer actively developed, only maintaining for existing projects

Code Comparison

Moment:

moment().format('MMMM Do YYYY, h:mm:ss a');
moment().add(7, 'days');
moment('2010-10-20').isBefore('2010-10-21');

Day.js:

dayjs().format('MMMM D YYYY, h:mm:ss A');
dayjs().add(7, 'day');
dayjs('2010-10-20').isBefore('2010-10-21');

Summary

While Moment has been a popular choice for date and time manipulation in JavaScript, Day.js offers a more lightweight and modern alternative. Day.js provides similar functionality with a smaller footprint and immutable API, making it a preferred option for new projects. Moment, however, still maintains an advantage in terms of extensive localization support and a rich ecosystem of plugins. The syntax between the two libraries is quite similar, allowing for relatively easy migration from Moment to Day.js in many cases.

Pros of date-fns

• More comprehensive and feature-rich library with a wider range of functions
• Modular architecture allows for tree-shaking and smaller bundle sizes
• Immutable by design, preventing unintended side effects

Cons of date-fns

• Larger overall package size compared to dayjs
• Steeper learning curve due to its extensive API
• May require more configuration for optimal performance

Code Comparison

date-fns:

import { format, addDays } from 'date-fns'

const date = new Date()
const formattedDate = format(date, 'yyyy-MM-dd')
const futureDate = addDays(date, 7)

dayjs:

import dayjs from 'dayjs'

const date = dayjs()
const formattedDate = date.format('YYYY-MM-DD')
const futureDate = date.add(7, 'day')

Both libraries offer similar functionality for basic date operations, but date-fns provides more granular control and a wider range of functions. dayjs has a simpler API and smaller footprint, making it easier to get started with, while date-fns offers more advanced features and better performance optimization options for larger projects.

Pros of tinydate

• Extremely lightweight (340 bytes gzipped) compared to dayjs (2.9KB gzipped)
• Faster performance due to its minimal feature set
• Simple API focused solely on date formatting

Cons of tinydate

• Limited functionality, only supports date formatting
• No parsing capabilities or date manipulation features
• Lacks internationalization support

Code Comparison

tinydate:

import tinydate from 'tinydate';
const stamp = tinydate('{YYYY}-{MM}-{DD}');
console.log(stamp(new Date()));

dayjs:

import dayjs from 'dayjs';
const date = dayjs();
console.log(date.format('YYYY-MM-DD'));

Summary

tinydate is a ultra-lightweight date formatting library, while dayjs is a more comprehensive date manipulation library. tinydate excels in size and performance for simple formatting tasks, but lacks the extensive features and flexibility of dayjs. Choose tinydate for projects where minimal file size is crucial and only basic date formatting is needed. Opt for dayjs when you require a full-featured date library with parsing, manipulation, and internationalization support.

Pros of js-joda

• Immutable date-time objects, preventing unintended side effects
• More comprehensive API for handling time zones and periods
• Closely follows the design of Java 8's java.time package, offering familiarity for Java developers

Cons of js-joda

• Larger bundle size compared to dayjs
• Steeper learning curve for developers not familiar with Java's date-time API
• Less widespread adoption and community support

Code Comparison

js-joda:

const { LocalDate, DateTimeFormatter } = require('@js-joda/core')

const date = LocalDate.parse('2023-05-15')
const formattedDate = date.format(DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern('dd.MM.yyyy'))

dayjs:

const dayjs = require('dayjs')

const date = dayjs('2023-05-15')
const formattedDate = date.format('DD.MM.YYYY')

Both libraries offer similar functionality for parsing and formatting dates. However, js-joda uses a more verbose syntax and separate imports for different components, while dayjs provides a more concise API with a single import. js-joda's approach aligns closely with Java's date-time API, which may be preferable for developers transitioning from Java or working in mixed Java/JavaScript environments.