How to Get Current Date and Time in Python Easily

Use the datetime module in Python to get the current date and time. Call datetime.datetime.now() to get the current date and time as a datetime object.

Syntax

To get the current date and time, import the datetime module and use the datetime.now() method. This returns a datetime object with the current local date and time.

• import datetime: Loads the datetime module.
• datetime.datetime.now(): Gets current date and time.

python

import datetime

current_datetime = datetime.datetime.now()

Example

This example shows how to print the current date and time in a readable format.

python

import datetime

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

Output

Current date and time: 2024-06-15 14:30:45.123456

Common Pitfalls

One common mistake is to forget importing the datetime module before using it. Another is confusing datetime.now() with datetime.today(), which behaves similarly but is less explicit. Also, using time.time() returns a timestamp, not a datetime object.

python

import datetime

# Wrong: forgetting to import datetime
# current_datetime = datetime.now()  # This will cause an error

# Right:
current_datetime = datetime.datetime.now()
print(current_datetime)

Quick Reference

Function	Description
datetime.datetime.now()	Returns current local date and time as datetime object
datetime.date.today()	Returns current local date only
datetime.datetime.utcnow()	Returns current UTC date and time
time.time()	Returns current time as timestamp (seconds since epoch)

Key Takeaways

Use datetime.datetime.now() to get current local date and time.

Always import the datetime module before using it.

datetime.datetime.now() returns a datetime object you can format or manipulate.

For just the date, use datetime.date.today().

Avoid confusing timestamps from time.time() with datetime objects.