R — Dates

Basic dates

# Current date
today <- Sys.Date()
print(today)

# Create date
date1 <- as.Date("2026-08-23")
date2 <- as.Date("23/08/2026", format = "%d/%m/%Y")

# Difference
diff <- date2 - date1
print(diff)

lubridate

library(lubridate)

# Parse dates
ymd("2026-08-23")
mdy("08/23/2026")
dmy("23/08/2026")

# Current datetime
now()

# Components
year(today)
month(today)
day(today)
wday(today)

Date arithmetic

library(lubridate)

today <- today()

# Add/subtract
today + days(7)
today + months(1)
today + years(1)

# Difference
difftime(today + days(30), today, units = "days")

Formatting

library(lubridate)

now <- now()
format(now, "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
format(now, "%B %d, %Y")
format(now, "%A, %B %d, %Y")

Mini Practice

Write R code that:

Creates and parses dates
Extracts date components
Performs date arithmetic
Formats dates for display

Up Next

In the next lesson, you'll learn about Packages — extending R with packages.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dates

What is Dates in R?

Dates is a fundamental concept in R. This lesson explains it step by step with clear examples, making it easy for beginners to understand.

How do I learn Dates?

Start by reading the explanation above, then try the code examples. Practice by modifying the examples and experimenting with different values. Hands-on practice is the best way to learn Dates.

Why is Dates important in R?

Dates is essential for R development. Understanding this concept will help you write better code and solve real-world problems more effectively.