In JavaScript, timestamps are usually associated with Unix time. And there are different methods for generating such timestamps.

When we make use of the different JavaScript methods for generating timestamps, they return the number of milliseconds that has passed since 1 January 1970 UTC (the Unix time).

In this article, you'll learn how to use the following methods to generate Unix timestamps in JavaScript:

  • The getTime() method.
  • The Date.now() method.
  • The valueOf() method.

How to Use getTime() to Generate Timestamps in JS

var timestamp = new Date().getTime();

console.log(timestamp)
// 1660926192826

In the example above, we created a new Date() object and stored it in a timestamp variable.

We also attached the getTime() method to the new Date() object using dot notation: new Date().getTime(). This returned the Unix time at that point in milliseconds: 1660926192826.

To get the timestamp in seconds, you divide the current timestamp by 1000. That is:

var timestamp = new Date().getTime();

console.log(Math.floor(timestamp / 1000))

How to Use Date.now() to Generate Timestamps in JS

var timestamp = Date.now();

console.log(timestamp)
// 1660926758875

In the example above, we got the Unix timestamp at that particular point in time using the Date.now() method.

The timestamps you see in these examples will be different from yours. This is because you'll get the timestamp of the time that has elapsed from 1 January 1970 UTC to your current time.

How to Use valueOf() to Generate Timestamps in JS

var timestamp = new Date().valueOf();

console.log(timestamp)
// 1660928777955

Just like the getTime() method, we have to attach the valueOf() method to a new Date() object in order to generate a Unix timestamp.

The new Date() object, without getTime() or valueOf(), returns the information about your current time.

Summary

In the article, we talked about timestamps in JavaScript. There are usually associated with the Unix time.

We saw three different methods that can be used to generate timestamps in JavaScript with code examples.

Happy coding!