Benchmark: moment clone vs new date

HTML Preparation code:

<script src="https://cdn.rawgit.com/moment/moment/2.7.0/moment.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.rawgit.com/moment/moment-timezone/0.2.2/builds/moment-timezone-with-data.js"></script></script>

Script Preparation code:

const DIFF_SEC = 600;
const DIFF_MS = 600000;
const TIMESTAMP = '2023-01-01T00:00:00Z';

Tests:

new Date()
const t1 = new Date(TIMESTAMP); const t2 = new Date(t1.getTime() + DIFF_MS);
Moment
moment.utc(TIMESTAMP).clone().add(DIFF_SEC, 'seconds')

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
new Date()
Moment

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

Run details: (Test run date: 20 days ago)

User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:149.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/149.0

Browser/OS: Firefox 149 on Windows

View result in a separate tab

Test name	Executions per second
new Date()	15012717.0 Ops/sec
Moment	181940.1 Ops/sec

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated one year ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

This benchmark compares the performance of two different methods for manipulating dates in JavaScript: using the built-in `Date` object and using the `moment.js` library.

### Testing Options

1. **Built-in `Date` Object**
   - **Test Name**: `new Date()`
   - **Benchmark Definition**:
     ```javascript
     const t1 = new Date(TIMESTAMP); 
     const t2 = new Date(t1.getTime() + DIFF_MS);
     ```
   - **Description**: This approach uses the native JavaScript `Date` object to create a date from a given timestamp (`TIMESTAMP`) and then adds a specified duration in milliseconds (`DIFF_MS`) to it. The execution is measured based on how many times this operation completes per second.

2. **Moment.js Library**
   - **Test Name**: `Moment`
   - **Benchmark Definition**:
     ```javascript
     moment.utc(TIMESTAMP).clone().add(DIFF_SEC, 'seconds');
     ```
   - **Description**: This approach utilizes Moment.js, a widely-used library in JavaScript for date manipulation. In this example, it creates a moment object in UTC from the timestamp and adds a specified duration in seconds (`DIFF_SEC`). The performance is measured based on the rate at which this operation can be executed.

### Pros and Cons

- **Using the Built-in `Date` Object**:
  - **Pros**:
    - Faster execution: The benchmark results show that the execution rate for the `new Date()` method is significantly higher, with `11,131,126` executions per second.
    - No additional library dependencies: This method does not require any external libraries, reducing complexity and potential compatibility issues.
  - **Cons**:
    - Limited functionality: The built-in `Date` object can be cumbersome for complex date manipulations (e.g., formatting, time zone management).
    - Difficulties with time zones: Handling time zones can be error-prone when using the native `Date` methods.

- **Using Moment.js**:
  - **Pros**:
    - Rich functionality: Moment.js simplifies many complex date manipulations, such as formatting, comparing, and working with different time zones.
    - Easy to use: Provides a user-friendly API that can be easier for developers to learn and use for date-related tasks.
  - **Cons**:
    - Performance hit: The benchmark shows a substantially lower execution rate (`122,083.75` executions per second), which may not be suitable for use cases requiring high-performance date manipulation.
    - Library size: Adding Moment.js increases the overall size of the application, which could impact load times and performance, especially for projects where performance is critical.

### Other Considerations
- **Alternatives**: Aside from Moment.js and the built-in `Date` object, other libraries such as **date-fns** and **Luxon** offer varying functionalities and performance characteristics. For example:
  - **date-fns** provides modular functionality, allowing users to import only what they need, leading to potentially smaller bundle sizes.
  - **Luxon** is built on top of the native `Date` and offers a modern API, focusing on usability and dealing with time zones.

In conclusion, the benchmark showcases the trade-offs between using the native `Date` object and the Moment.js library for date manipulation. While the `Date` object offers superior performance, Moment.js provides a more robust set of tools for handling dates effectively. Depending on the application's requirements, developers may choose one over the other or consider alternatives for more specialized use cases.

Related benchmarks:

moment clone vs new date (version: 1)

Comparing performance of: new Date() vs Moment

Created: one year ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

new Date()

Moment

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model gpt-4o-mini, generated one year ago):