How to Convert Date to UTC timestamp in JavaScript Without Libraries

Learn how to convert a date with a specific timezone to a UTC timestamp in JavaScript without using any libraries. Follow our step-by-step guide!
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How to Convert Date to UTC timestamp in JavaScript Without Libraries

Working with dates and timezones can often get tricky, especially when it comes to converting local time to a universal time coordinate (UTC). If you've ever needed to convert a date with a specific time and timezone to its UTC representation in JavaScript, this guide is for you.

The Problem Statement

Let's say you have a date and time that looks like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

You want to get the UTC representation of that specific time while considering different timezones, such as "Europe/Moscow" or "America/New_York".

The Solution

To achieve this without the use of any libraries, you can follow these steps:

1. Calculate the Timezone Offset

It's essential to calculate the offset between the local date and UTC. Here's how you can do that:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation: This function will return the offset in minutes from UTC for the specified timezone. It works by converting the local date to UTC and then to the specified timezone to find the difference.

2. Creating the Main Conversion Function

Next, create the function that will convert your date based on the timezone.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Parameters:

dateConfig: An object specifying the year, month, and date.

timeConfig: An object specifying the hours and minutes.

timeZone: A string representing the timezone.

Return Value: The function will return the UTC timestamp in seconds.

3. Putting It All Together

To see this in action, you can declare your date and time and call the conversion function:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Final Notes

Make sure the date and time are in the correct format as shown above.

This approach allows you to convert dates efficiently without adding any external dependencies to your project.

By following these steps, you have successfully learned how to convert a local date and time into a UTC timestamp in JavaScript without using libraries. It’s always a good practice to understand the time conversion process as it plays a crucial role in modern web applications.