Moment.js transform to date object

Your time in their zone

When managing time zones, a quick tweak while converting a Moment.js to Date gravely matters:

// Let's plan your Independence Day party in Denver
var dateObjWithTimezone = moment.tz('2020-07-04', "America/Denver").toDate();
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Now, dateObjWithTimezone is buzzing with fireworks reflecting the exact local time of "America/Denver".

All standard, nothing fancy

In case your task is in good old UTC format, just add moment.utc() to the party:

// Planning a New Year party again, this time in UTC
var utcDateObj = moment.utc('2020-01-01').toDate();
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With utcDateObj being in UTC means no time zone offset. Keep in mind, moment.utc() turns the global moment object back to UTC, so handle with care!

Formatting your date with style

If a formatted string sparks more joy than a date object:

// Party starts at midnight!
var formattedDate = moment('2020-01-01').format("YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss");
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Voila! You have a string with the moment's date and time, formatted this way: "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss".

Cut the "new Date()" chase

You might avoid converting your Moment.js object to a Date and opt to operate on moment objects directly:

// Let's take it slow this time...
var momentObj = moment('2020-01-01');
// ... feel free to 'moment' around
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You spare a redundant step of creating a Date object and get to enjoy moment.

Living local

For a true localization experience in Moment.js:

// Vive la France!
var localDateObj = moment('2020-01-01').locale('fr').toDate();
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With locale settings activated, locals' customs such as weeks starting on Monday in France are easily respected.

Time offset drama

For smooth sailing, especially while handling UIs that present dates both with and without a time zone:

// Hitting two birds with one stone...
var localDateObj = moment('2020-01-01').utc(true).toDate();
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This way, the time is converted to UTC and displayed correctly, courtesy of your local offset.

Good practices

Respect the time zone identity

Always opt for Olson Timezone Identifiers like "America/Denver" rather than offset-based time identifiers. Trust me, you don't want to deal with Daylight Saving Time manually.

Keep everything updated

Make sure you have the latest version of Moment.js and moment-timezone. It doesn’t hurt to stay up-to-date.

Don't hesitate to read

Got lost in the jungle of time zones? Visit the Moment.js timezone documentation. It's GPS for time travelers like us.

Deep dive into UTC

UTC is like the Earth's heartbeat. The better you understand it, the easier time traveling in your code becomes. NOAA's article on UTC should naturally be your bedtime story.

More than moment

Time zone trouble? Consider installing the moment-timezone library:

npm install moment-timezone
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And then, summon it in your JavaScript:

const moment = require('moment-timezone');
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The trap of mutation

Beware. Methods like moment.utc() are like mutating viruses — they change the original moment instance. Better clone them before it's too late.