The getTime()
method returns the numeric value corresponding to the time for the specified date according to universal time.
You can use this method to help assign a date and time to another Date
object. This method is functionally equivalent to the valueOf()
method.
Syntax
dateObj.getTime()
Return value
A number representing the milliseconds elapsed between 1 January 1970 00:00:00 UTC and the given date.
Examples
Using getTime()
for copying dates
Constructing a date object with the identical time value.
// Since month is zero based, birthday will be January 10, 1995 var birthday = new Date(1994, 12, 10); var copy = new Date(); copy.setTime(birthday.getTime());
Measuring execution time
Subtracting two subsequent getTime()
calls on newly generated Date
objects, give the time span between these two calls. This can be used to calculate the executing time of some operations. See also Date.now()
to prevent instantiating unnecessary Date
objects.
var end, start; start = new Date(); for (var i = 0; i < 1000; i++) { Math.sqrt(i); } end = new Date(); console.log('Operation took ' + (end.getTime() - start.getTime()) + ' msec');
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
ECMAScript 1st Edition (ECMA-262) | Standard | Initial definition. Implemented in JavaScript 1.0. |
ECMAScript 5.1 (ECMA-262) The definition of 'Date.prototype.getTime' in that specification. |
Standard | |
ECMAScript 2015 (6th Edition, ECMA-262) The definition of 'Date.prototype.getTime' in that specification. |
Standard | |
ECMAScript Latest Draft (ECMA-262) The definition of 'Date.prototype.getTime' in that specification. |
Draft |
Browser compatibility
The compatibility table in this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.
Feature | Chrome | Firefox | Edge | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic Support | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |
Feature | Android | Chrome for Android | Edge mobile | Firefox for Android | IE mobile | Opera Android | iOS Safari |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic Support | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) | (Yes) |