Format Date Time and Set Time Zone in Java

This is a quick tutorial on how to format the java Date in a format like "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"  and also set the time zone for the date provided.

I would like to recommend always set the time in UTC while saving it in the database and also for the current date. Latter we can manipulate this UTC time to whatever timezone is required.

Now, let's see how we can format date time and also set the time zone in order to display to the user. Let's look at the example.

import java.text.DateFormat;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.TimeZone;

public class DateUtils {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String dateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss";
        String timeZone = "Asia/Jerusalem";
        Date date = new Date(); // current server time
        String formattedDate = formatDate(date, dateFormat, timeZone);
        System.out.println(formattedDate);
    }

    public static String formatDate(Date date, String dateFormat, String timeZone) {
        if (date == null) return ""; // or simply throw Exception
        DateFormat simpleDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(dateFormat);
         if (timeZone != null)
            simpleDateFormat.setTimeZone(TimeZone.getTimeZone(timeZone));
        return simpleDateFormat.format(date);
    }
}

Here, we have created formatDate method that accepts the parameters date(current date), dateFormat(a format that the date needs to be converted), and timeZone(time zone to convert given date to desired time zone)

DateFormat simpleDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(dateFormat);

We are using the java core "SimpleDateFormat" class to convert the date in our desired date format.

simpleDateFormat.setTimeZone(TimeZone.getTimeZone(timeZone));

This will set the given time zone. We are setting the Israel timezone. 

Output:

2021-08-24 12:25:52 

If you need a different format then simply change the dateFormat argument value for e.g

String dateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd";

Output:

2021-08-24

Get the list of all TimeZones.

If you want to get all the time zones available then simply try using the following method.

import java.time.ZoneId;
import java.util.Set;

public static void visualizeAllTimeZone() {
        Set<String> zoneIds = ZoneId.getAvailableZoneIds();
        for (String id : zoneIds) {
            ZoneId zoneId = ZoneId.of(id);
            System.out.println(zoneId);
        }
    }

Output:

Asia/Aden
America/Cuiaba
Etc/GMT+9
Etc/GMT+8
Africa/Nairobi
America/Marigot
Asia/Aqtau
Pacific/Kwajalein
America/El_Salvador
Asia/Pontianak
Africa/Cairo
Pacific/Pago_Pago
Africa/Mbabane
Asia/Kuching
Pacific/Honolulu
Pacific/Rarotonga
America/Guatemala
Australia/Hobart
Europe/London
America/Belize
America/Panama
Asia/Chungking
America/Managua
America/Indiana/Petersburg
Asia/Yerevan
Europe/Brussels
GMT
Europe/Warsaw
America/Chicago
Asia/Kashgar
Chile/Continental
Pacific/Yap
CET
Etc/GMT-1
Etc/GMT-0
Europe/Jersey
America/Tegucigalpa
Etc/GMT-5
Europe/Istanbul
America/Eirunepe
Etc/GMT-4
America/Miquelon
Etc/GMT-3
Europe/Luxembourg
Etc/GMT-2
Etc/GMT-9
America/Argentina/Catamarca
Etc/GMT-8
Etc/GMT-7
Etc/GMT-6
Europe/Zaporozhye
Canada/Yukon
Canada/Atlantic
Atlantic/St_Helena
Australia/Tasmania
Libya
Europe/Guernsey
America/Grand_Turk
Asia/Samarkand
America/Argentina/Cordoba
Asia/Phnom_Penh
Africa/Kigali
Asia/Almaty
US/Alaska
Asia/Dubai
Europe/Isle_of_Man
America/Araguaina
Cuba
Asia/Novosibirsk
America/Argentina/Salta
Etc/GMT+3
Africa/Tunis
Etc/GMT+2
Etc/GMT+1
Pacific/Fakaofo
Africa/Tripoli
Etc/GMT+0
Israel
Africa/Banjul
Etc/GMT+7
Indian/Comoro
Etc/GMT+6
Etc/GMT+5
Etc/GMT+4
Pacific/Port_Moresby
US/Arizona
Antarctica/Syowa
Indian/Reunion
Pacific/Palau
Europe/Kaliningrad
America/Montevideo
Africa/Windhoek
Asia/Karachi
Africa/Mogadishu
Australia/Perth
Brazil/East
Etc/GMT
Asia/Chita
Pacific/Easter
Antarctica/Davis
Antarctica/McMurdo
Asia/Macao
America/Manaus
Africa/Freetown
Europe/Bucharest
Asia/Tomsk
America/Argentina/Mendoza
Asia/Macau
Europe/Malta
Mexico/BajaSur
Pacific/Tahiti
Africa/Asmera
Europe/Busingen
America/Argentina/Rio_Gallegos
Africa/Malabo
Europe/Skopje
America/Catamarca
America/Godthab
Europe/Sarajevo
Australia/ACT
GB-Eire
Africa/Lagos
America/Cordoba
Europe/Rome
Asia/Dacca
Indian/Mauritius
Pacific/Samoa
America/Regina
America/Fort_Wayne
America/Dawson_Creek
Africa/Algiers
Europe/Mariehamn
America/St_Johns
America/St_Thomas
Europe/Zurich
America/Anguilla
Asia/Dili
America/Denver
Africa/Bamako
Europe/Saratov
GB
Mexico/General
Pacific/Wallis
Europe/Gibraltar
Africa/Conakry
Africa/Lubumbashi
Asia/Istanbul
America/Havana
NZ-CHAT
Asia/Choibalsan
America/Porto_Acre
Asia/Omsk
Europe/Vaduz
US/Michigan
Asia/Dhaka
America/Barbados
Europe/Tiraspol
Atlantic/Cape_Verde
Asia/Yekaterinburg
America/Louisville
Pacific/Johnston
Pacific/Chatham
Europe/Ljubljana
America/Sao_Paulo
Asia/Jayapura
America/Curacao
Asia/Dushanbe
America/Guyana
America/Guayaquil
America/Martinique
Portugal
Europe/Berlin
Europe/Moscow
Europe/Chisinau
America/Puerto_Rico
America/Rankin_Inlet
Pacific/Ponape
Europe/Stockholm
Europe/Budapest
America/Argentina/Jujuy
Australia/Eucla
Asia/Shanghai
Universal
Europe/Zagreb
America/Port_of_Spain
Europe/Helsinki
Asia/Beirut
Asia/Tel_Aviv
Pacific/Bougainville
US/Central
Africa/Sao_Tome
Indian/Chagos
America/Cayenne
Asia/Yakutsk
Pacific/Galapagos
Australia/North
Europe/Paris
Africa/Ndjamena
Pacific/Fiji
America/Rainy_River
Indian/Maldives
Australia/Yancowinna
SystemV/AST4
Asia/Oral
America/Yellowknife
Pacific/Enderbury
America/Juneau
Australia/Victoria
America/Indiana/Vevay
Asia/Tashkent
Asia/Jakarta
Africa/Ceuta
Asia/Barnaul
America/Recife
America/Buenos_Aires
America/Noronha
America/Swift_Current
Australia/Adelaide
America/Metlakatla
Africa/Djibouti
America/Paramaribo
Asia/Qostanay
Europe/Simferopol
Europe/Sofia
Africa/Nouakchott
Europe/Prague
America/Indiana/Vincennes
Antarctica/Mawson
America/Kralendijk
Antarctica/Troll
Europe/Samara
Indian/Christmas
America/Antigua
Pacific/Gambier
America/Indianapolis
America/Inuvik
America/Iqaluit
Pacific/Funafuti
UTC
Antarctica/Macquarie
Canada/Pacific
America/Moncton
Africa/Gaborone
Pacific/Chuuk
Asia/Pyongyang
America/St_Vincent
Asia/Gaza
Etc/Universal
PST8PDT
Atlantic/Faeroe
Asia/Qyzylorda
Canada/Newfoundland
America/Kentucky/Louisville
America/Yakutat
Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh
Antarctica/Casey
Europe/Copenhagen
Africa/Asmara
Atlantic/Azores
Europe/Vienna
ROK
Pacific/Pitcairn
America/Mazatlan
Australia/Queensland
Pacific/Nauru
Europe/Tirane
Asia/Kolkata
SystemV/MST7
Australia/Canberra
MET
Australia/Broken_Hill
Europe/Riga
America/Dominica
Africa/Abidjan
America/Mendoza
America/Santarem
Kwajalein
America/Asuncion
Asia/Ulan_Bator
NZ
America/Boise
Australia/Currie
EST5EDT
Pacific/Guam
Pacific/Wake
Atlantic/Bermuda
America/Costa_Rica
America/Dawson
Asia/Chongqing
Eire
Europe/Amsterdam
America/Indiana/Knox
America/North_Dakota/Beulah
Africa/Accra
Atlantic/Faroe
Mexico/BajaNorte
America/Maceio
Etc/UCT
Pacific/Apia
GMT0
America/Atka
Pacific/Niue
Australia/Lord_Howe
Europe/Dublin
Pacific/Truk
MST7MDT
America/Monterrey
America/Nassau
America/Jamaica
Asia/Bishkek
America/Atikokan
Atlantic/Stanley
Australia/NSW
US/Hawaii
SystemV/CST6
Indian/Mahe
Asia/Aqtobe
America/Sitka
Asia/Vladivostok
Africa/Libreville
Africa/Maputo
Zulu
America/Kentucky/Monticello
Africa/El_Aaiun
Africa/Ouagadougou
America/Coral_Harbour
Pacific/Marquesas
Brazil/West
America/Aruba
America/North_Dakota/Center
America/Cayman
Asia/Ulaanbaatar
Asia/Baghdad
Europe/San_Marino
America/Indiana/Tell_City
America/Tijuana
Pacific/Saipan
SystemV/YST9
Africa/Douala
America/Chihuahua
America/Ojinaga
Asia/Hovd
America/Anchorage
Chile/EasterIsland
America/Halifax
Antarctica/Rothera
America/Indiana/Indianapolis
US/Mountain
Asia/Damascus
America/Argentina/San_Luis
America/Santiago
Asia/Baku
America/Argentina/Ushuaia
Atlantic/Reykjavik
Africa/Brazzaville
Africa/Porto-Novo
America/La_Paz
Antarctica/DumontDUrville
Asia/Taipei
Antarctica/South_Pole
Asia/Manila
Asia/Bangkok
Africa/Dar_es_Salaam
Poland
Atlantic/Madeira
Antarctica/Palmer
America/Thunder_Bay
Africa/Addis_Ababa
Asia/Yangon
Europe/Uzhgorod
Brazil/DeNoronha
Asia/Ashkhabad
Etc/Zulu
America/Indiana/Marengo
America/Creston
America/Punta_Arenas
America/Mexico_City
Antarctica/Vostok
Asia/Jerusalem
Europe/Andorra
US/Samoa
PRC
Asia/Vientiane
Pacific/Kiritimati
America/Matamoros
America/Blanc-Sablon
Asia/Riyadh
Iceland
Pacific/Pohnpei
Asia/Ujung_Pandang
Atlantic/South_Georgia
Europe/Lisbon
Asia/Harbin
Europe/Oslo
Asia/Novokuznetsk
CST6CDT
Atlantic/Canary
America/Knox_IN
Asia/Kuwait
SystemV/HST10
Pacific/Efate
Africa/Lome
America/Bogota
America/Menominee
America/Adak
Pacific/Norfolk
Europe/Kirov
America/Resolute
Pacific/Tarawa
Africa/Kampala
Asia/Krasnoyarsk
Greenwich
SystemV/EST5
America/Edmonton
Europe/Podgorica
Australia/South
Canada/Central
Africa/Bujumbura
America/Santo_Domingo
US/Eastern
Europe/Minsk
Pacific/Auckland
Africa/Casablanca
America/Glace_Bay
Canada/Eastern
Asia/Qatar
Europe/Kiev
Singapore
Asia/Magadan
SystemV/PST8
America/Port-au-Prince
Europe/Belfast
America/St_Barthelemy
Asia/Ashgabat
Africa/Luanda
America/Nipigon
Atlantic/Jan_Mayen
Brazil/Acre
Asia/Muscat
Asia/Bahrain
Europe/Vilnius
America/Fortaleza
Etc/GMT0
US/East-Indiana
America/Hermosillo
America/Cancun
Africa/Maseru
Pacific/Kosrae
Africa/Kinshasa
Asia/Kathmandu
Asia/Seoul
Australia/Sydney
America/Lima
Australia/LHI
America/St_Lucia
Europe/Madrid
America/Bahia_Banderas
America/Montserrat
Asia/Brunei
America/Santa_Isabel
Canada/Mountain
America/Cambridge_Bay
Asia/Colombo
Australia/West
Indian/Antananarivo
Australia/Brisbane
Indian/Mayotte
US/Indiana-Starke
Asia/Urumqi
US/Aleutian
Europe/Volgograd
America/Lower_Princes
America/Vancouver
Africa/Blantyre
America/Rio_Branco
America/Danmarkshavn
America/Detroit
America/Thule
Africa/Lusaka
Asia/Hong_Kong
Iran
America/Argentina/La_Rioja
Africa/Dakar
SystemV/CST6CDT
America/Tortola
America/Porto_Velho
Asia/Sakhalin
Etc/GMT+10
America/Scoresbysund
Asia/Kamchatka
Asia/Thimbu
Africa/Harare
Etc/GMT+12
Etc/GMT+11
Navajo
America/Nome
Europe/Tallinn
Turkey
Africa/Khartoum
Africa/Johannesburg
Africa/Bangui
Europe/Belgrade
Jamaica
Africa/Bissau
Asia/Tehran
WET
Europe/Astrakhan
Africa/Juba
America/Campo_Grande
America/Belem
Etc/Greenwich
Asia/Saigon
America/Ensenada
Pacific/Midway
America/Jujuy
Africa/Timbuktu
America/Bahia
America/Goose_Bay
America/Virgin
America/Pangnirtung
Asia/Katmandu
America/Phoenix
Africa/Niamey
America/Whitehorse
Pacific/Noumea
Asia/Tbilisi
America/Montreal
Asia/Makassar
America/Argentina/San_Juan
Hongkong
UCT
Asia/Nicosia
America/Indiana/Winamac
SystemV/MST7MDT
America/Argentina/ComodRivadavia
America/Boa_Vista
America/Grenada
Asia/Atyrau
Australia/Darwin
Asia/Khandyga
Asia/Kuala_Lumpur
Asia/Famagusta
Asia/Thimphu
Asia/Rangoon
Europe/Bratislava
Asia/Calcutta
America/Argentina/Tucuman
Asia/Kabul
Indian/Cocos
Japan
Pacific/Tongatapu
America/New_York
Etc/GMT-12
Etc/GMT-11
America/Nuuk
Etc/GMT-10
SystemV/YST9YDT
Europe/Ulyanovsk
Etc/GMT-14
Etc/GMT-13
W-SU
America/Merida
EET
America/Rosario
Canada/Saskatchewan
America/St_Kitts
Arctic/Longyearbyen
America/Fort_Nelson
America/Caracas
America/Guadeloupe
Asia/Hebron
Indian/Kerguelen
SystemV/PST8PDT
Africa/Monrovia
Asia/Ust-Nera
Egypt
Asia/Srednekolymsk
America/North_Dakota/New_Salem
Asia/Anadyr
Australia/Melbourne
Asia/Irkutsk
America/Shiprock
America/Winnipeg
Europe/Vatican
Asia/Amman
Etc/UTC
SystemV/AST4ADT
Asia/Tokyo
America/Toronto
Asia/Singapore
Australia/Lindeman
America/Los_Angeles
SystemV/EST5EDT
Pacific/Majuro
America/Argentina/Buenos_Aires
Europe/Nicosia
Pacific/Guadalcanal
Europe/Athens
US/Pacific
Europe/Monaco

You can select whatever time zone you need from the above list. 

In order to get the display name

import java.time.format.TextStyle;
import java.util.Locale;

System.out.println(zoneId.getDisplayName(TextStyle.FULL, Locale.US));

Read More