askvity

How do I get today's datetime in Python?

Published in Python Datetime 2 mins read

You can get today's date and time in Python using the datetime module.

Using the datetime Module

The datetime module provides classes for manipulating dates and times. The datetime.datetime.now() function is the easiest way to get the current date and time.

import datetime

now = datetime.datetime.now()

print(now)

This code will print the current date and time in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.microseconds.

Getting Only the Date

If you only need the date, you can use the datetime.date.today() function.

import datetime

today = datetime.date.today()

print(today)

This will print the current date in the format YYYY-MM-DD.

Formatting the Output

You can format the output using the strftime() method. This method allows you to specify a format string that determines how the date and time are displayed.

import datetime

now = datetime.datetime.now()

formatted_date = now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")

print(formatted_date)

This will print the date and time in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. You can customize the format string to suit your specific needs. Refer to the Python documentation for a complete list of format codes. For example, %A represents the full weekday name and %B represents the full month name.

Summary

In summary, the easiest way to get the current date and time is by using datetime.datetime.now(). If you only need the current date, use datetime.date.today(). Use strftime() to format the output.

Related Articles