Get current date-time in Python programming language

Understanding how to work with datetime in Python is essential for a wide range of applications, from simple scripts to complex data analysis and web development projects. In this tutorial, we will explore how to use Python's built-in modules to determine the current date and time, as well as manipulate and format that data to meet our specific needs. Whether you are a beginner learning Python for the first time or an experienced developer looking to improve your skills, this tutorial is a valuable resource for anyone working with date and time data in Python.

Different ways of getting current date-time in python

• We have already read about the datetime module in detail.
• The datetime module provides datetime objects, which are used to work with date and time values.
• The most important class in the datetime module is  datetime.datetime , which represents a date and time together. 
• We'll learn how to get current time values in our next tutorial.
• In this section we'll learn how to use the  datetime  object to get -
  • current date-time
  • current UTC date-time
  • current date-time in ISO format
  • date-time attributes

How to get current date-time using datetime object

• The  datetime  object can be used to get the current date-time together.
• The  now()  function of datetime object returns the current date-time.
• Code Sample :

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
print("Current date and time:", now)

# Output
# Current date and time: 2022-02-09 18:51:44.089391

How to get current UTC date-time using datetime object

• UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time.
• It is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time.
• We can use the  today()  function of datetime  object to get the current UTC date. 
• This function returns a  datetime.date  object.
• Code Sample :

from datetime import datetime

dt = datetime.now()

# Get the current date
current_utc_date = dt.utcnow()

print("Current UTC Date : ", current_utc_date)


# Output
# Current UTC Date :  2022-02-09 13:38:00.788949

How to get current date-time in ISO format using datetime object

• The  isoformat()  method of the  datetime  class can be used to get the current date and time in ISO format.
• Example code:

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
iso_time = now.isoformat()
print("Current date and time in ISO format:", iso_time)

# Output
# Current date and time in ISO format: 2022-08-14T11:20:20.951170

How to get date-time attributes using datetime object

• The  datetime  class provides different attributes to access year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and microsecond values separately.
• Code Sample :

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
print("Year:", now.year)
print("Month:", now.month)
print("Day:", now.day)
print("Hour:", now.hour)
print("Minute:", now.minute)
print("Second:", now.second)
print("Microsecond:", now.microsecond)

# Output
# Year: 2022
# Month: 2
# Day: 9
# Hour: 18
# Minute: 51
# Second: 44
# Microsecond: 089391

How to get current date using datetime object

• We can use the  date()  function of  datetime  object to get the current date. 
• This function returns a  datetime.datetime.date  object. 
• Code Sample :

from datetime import datetime

# Get datetime object
dt = datetime.now()

# Get the current date
current_date = dt.date()

print("Current Date : ", current_date)

# Output
# Current Date :  2022-02-09

How to get timezone using datetime object

• The  pytz  module provides timezone support in Python.
• Here's how we can get the current date-time in a particular timezone.
• Code Sample :

from datetime import datetime
import pytz

tz = pytz.timezone('US/Eastern')
now = datetime.now(tz)

print("Current date and time in US/Eastern:", now)

# Output
# Current date and time in US/Eastern: 2022-03-07 12:18:57.820845-05:00