How to determine if date is weekend in JavaScript?

In JavaScript, you can determine if a date falls on a weekend by using the getDay() method. This method returns 0 for Sunday and 6 for Saturday, making weekend detection straightforward.

How getDay() Works

The getDay() method returns a number representing the day of the week:

• 0 = Sunday
• 1 = Monday
• 2 = Tuesday
• 3 = Wednesday
• 4 = Thursday
• 5 = Friday
• 6 = Saturday

Basic Weekend Check

Here's how to check if a specific date is a weekend:

var givenDate = new Date("2020-07-18");
var currentDay = givenDate.getDay();
var dateIsInWeekend = (currentDay === 6) || (currentDay === 0);

if (dateIsInWeekend == true) {
    console.log("The given date " + givenDate + " is a Weekend");
} else {
    console.log("The given date " + givenDate + " is not a Weekend");
}

The given date Sat Jul 18 2020 05:30:00 GMT+0530 (India Standard Time) is a Weekend

Function-Based Approach

For reusability, create a function to check weekend status:

function isWeekend(date) {
    const day = date.getDay();
    return day === 0 || day === 6;
}

// Test with different dates
const dates = [
    new Date("2024-01-15"), // Monday
    new Date("2024-01-20"), // Saturday
    new Date("2024-01-21")  // Sunday
];

dates.forEach(date => {
    console.log(`${date.toDateString()}: ${isWeekend(date) ? 'Weekend' : 'Weekday'}`);
});

Mon Jan 15 2024: Weekday
Sat Jan 20 2024: Weekend
Sun Jan 21 2024: Weekend

Checking Current Date

To check if today is a weekend:

const today = new Date();
const isCurrentWeekend = today.getDay() === 0 || today.getDay() === 6;

console.log(`Today (${today.toDateString()}) is ${isCurrentWeekend ? 'a weekend' : 'a weekday'}`);

Today (Mon Jan 15 2024) is a weekday

Conclusion

Use getDay() to get the day of week, then check if it equals 0 (Sunday) or 6 (Saturday). This simple approach works reliably for weekend detection in JavaScript.