How do I get Month and Date of JavaScript in 2 digit format?

In-depth: Date formatting in JavaScript

While the initial example provides a solid basis, taking a deeper dive into date formatting patterns and edge case handling will ensure the solutions are more robust.

Custom methods for date and month

Beyond built-in methods, standalone and helper functions can be a lifeline to ensure the correct date format:

• Helper function: Why not build a helper function on our own instead of relying on the interpreter’s magical tricks? This function will give you the two-digit format if the number is already in two digits, or it’ll add a leading zero if it isn't:

function twoDigits(d) {
  return (d < 10 ? '0' : '') + d; // "0" or nothing, then the number. Easy as pie!
}
console.log(twoDigits(date.getMonth() + 1)); // "MM"
console.log(twoDigits(date.getDate())); // "DD"
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Handling potential formatting pitfalls

In JavaScript dates, we can encounter some potential pitfalls when formatting:

• Be sure to use getFullYear() instead of getYear(). The getYear() method is deprecated and can cause unforeseen issues:

const year = date.getFullYear(); // Trust me on this, don't use getYear(), just don't.
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• Remember, getMonth() returns a range from 0-11, so we have to add 1 to reflect the actual month number:

const month = (`0${date.getMonth() + 1}`).slice(-2); // JavaScript starts counting months from 0 because... reasons.
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• Sometimes we have to display the date in "YYYY-MM-DD" format, so watch out for the toISOString method that returns a string in ISO format but includes the time, which we don’t need here. We can replace 'T' with a blank space to give a "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss" format:

const formattedDate = date.toISOString().replace('T', ' '); // It'll give you pilot's connectivity, without the pilot.
console.log(formattedDate); // "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss"
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Time to become a time-bender with date libraries

In case you require more refined date handling, I'd recommend you taking the help of some well-equipped date libraries out there like Moment.js or date-fns:

import format from 'date-fns/format';

const wellFormattedDate = format(new Date(), "MM/dd/yyyy"); // Can actually format the date as good as Dave at the office!
console.log(wellFormattedDate); // "MM/DD/YYYY"
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All-in-one date formatting

With JavaScript, we can get really creative and format the full date-time string by combining various methods, while injecting a dash of JavaScript regex magic:

const fullDateTime = `${year}-${month}-${day} ${date.getHours()}:${date.getMinutes()}:${date.getSeconds()}`;
console.log(fullDateTime); // "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss", more alpha-numeric than a license plate
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Or manage to format using a date library:

import { format } from 'date-fns';

const comprehensiveFormattedDate = format(new Date(), 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss');
console.log(comprehensiveFormattedDate); // "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss"
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These were a couple of tricks out of JavaScript's seemingly bottomless magic hat 🎩✨. So next time your front end demands well-formatted dates, JavaScript’s got you covered!