How to Get UTC Time Using date.getTime() in JavaScript?

How can I use date.getTime() to retrieve UTC time in JavaScript?

const utcTime = Date.now(); // Returns current UTC timestamp in milliseconds
const date = new Date(utcTime);
console.log(date.toUTCString()); // Convert to a readable UTC format

In JavaScript, the `Date.getTime()` method returns the time value in milliseconds since the epoch (00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970). To get the UTC time, you can use `Date.now()` or convert a local date object to its UTC representation using relevant methods.

// Example to get current UTC time in milliseconds
const currentDateTimeUTC = Date.now();
console.log(`Current UTC Timestamp: ${currentDateTimeUTC}`);

const date = new Date(currentDateTimeUTC);
console.log(`UTC Format: ${date.toUTCString()}`);

Causes

• The `getTime()` method inherently returns the time in milliseconds from the epoch.
• Local time and UTC time are represented differently based on the user's timezone.

Solutions

• Use `Date.now()` to get the current UTC time in milliseconds directly.
• If you have a Date object and need UTC time, utilize methods like `.toUTCString()`, `.getUTCFullYear()`, `.getUTCMonth()`, etc.

Mistake: Confusing local time with UTC when using `getTime()` directly.

Solution: Always convert the Date object to UTC format using the appropriate conversion methods.

Mistake: Assuming that `getTime()` returns a human-readable date.

Solution: Use the `toUTCString()` or `toISOString()` methods for a readable representation.