java.time.format · java.base · since Java 1.8

DateTimeFormatter

declaration
public final class DateTimeFormatter

Immutable, thread-safe date/time formatting and parsing — pattern-based, localized, or ISO constants. The safe successor to SimpleDateFormat.

  • Share as static final constants — unlike SimpleDateFormat, it is thread-safe

Key methods

static DateTimeFormatter ofPattern(String pattern)"dd.MM.yyyy HH:mm" — y year, M month, d day, H hour, m minute, s second.
DateTimeFormatter withLocale(Locale) / withZone(ZoneId)Localization and zone attachment.
ISO_INSTANT / ISO_LOCAL_DATE …Standard machine formats as constants.
String format(TemporalAccessor) / parse via LocalDate.parse(text, fmt)Both directions.