How to get current date and time in Python?

1. Using datetime.now() (Most Common Method)

Retrieves the current local date and time with full precision.

from datetime import datetime

current_datetime = datetime.now()
print(current_datetime)

Returns date and time including microseconds.

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2. Get Only Current Date

from datetime import date

today = date.today()
print(today)

Useful for applications requiring date-only tracking.

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3. Get Only Current Time

from datetime import datetime

current_time = datetime.now().time()
print(current_time)

Extracts only the time component.

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4. Formatted Current Date and Time

from datetime import datetime

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

Ideal for logs, UI display, and reports.

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5. Using time Module

import time

current_timestamp = time.ctime()
print(current_timestamp)

Returns a human-readable timestamp string.

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6. Using UNIX Timestamp

import time

timestamp = time.time()
print(timestamp)

Returns seconds since Jan 1, 1970 (Epoch time).

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7. Current UTC Date and Time

from datetime import datetime

utc_now = datetime.utcnow()
print(utc_now)

Used in distributed systems and APIs.

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8. Current Date and Time with Timezone

from datetime import datetime
from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo

local_time = datetime.now(ZoneInfo("America/New_York"))
print(local_time)

Provides timezone-aware timestamps.

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9. Human-Friendly Display

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
print(now.strftime("Today is %A, %d %B %Y - %I:%M %p"))

Used for dashboards and user notifications.

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10. Enterprise Logging Example

from datetime import datetime

def log_event(event):
    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
    print(f"[{timestamp}] {event}")

log_event("Server Started")
log_event("User Login Successful")

Standard pattern for system and audit logs.

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Summary Table

Method	Output Type	Use Case
datetime.now()	datetime object	Full timestamp
date.today()	date object	Only date
datetime.now().time()	time object	Only time
time.time()	float	Unix timestamp
time.ctime()	string	Readable timestamp
datetime.utcnow()	datetime	UTC date/time

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Best Practices

• Use datetime.now() for local applications

• Use datetime.utcnow() or timezone-aware datetime for APIs

• Format output with strftime() for display

• Store time internally as UTC in distributed systems

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