Python datetime

1. Overview of the datetime Module

The datetime module is used for handling date and time operations with high precision and reliability.

import datetime

print(datetime.datetime.now())

It supports full timestamping, scheduling, comparisons, and formatting.

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2. Current Date and Time

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
print(now)

Returns the current system date and time including microseconds.

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3. Extracting Date Components

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()

print(now.year)
print(now.month)
print(now.day)
print(now.hour)
print(now.minute)
print(now.second)

Allows granular access to individual components.

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4. Using date and time Objects

from datetime import date, time

d = date(2025, 6, 15)
t = time(14, 30, 45)

print(d)
print(t)

Separates pure date and pure time values.

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5. Formatting with strftime()

from datetime import datetime

now = datetime.now()
print(now.strftime("%d-%m-%Y"))
print(now.strftime("%A, %B %d %Y"))

Frequently used format directives:

• %d → Day

• %B → Full month name

• %A → Weekday name

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6. Parsing Strings with strptime()

from datetime import datetime

date_string = "15-06-2025"
dt = datetime.strptime(date_string, "%d-%m-%Y")
print(dt)

Transforms formatted strings into datetime objects.

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7. Time Difference using timedelta

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

start = datetime.now()
end = start + timedelta(hours=5, minutes=30)

print("Start:", start)
print("End:", end)

Controls duration logic precisely.

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8. Timezone Handling with zoneinfo

from datetime import datetime
from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo

ny_time = datetime.now(ZoneInfo("America/New_York"))
tokyo_time = datetime.now(ZoneInfo("Asia/Tokyo"))

print("New York:", ny_time)
print("Tokyo:", tokyo_time)

Critical for international systems and APIs.

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9. ISO Format Conversion

from datetime import datetime

dt = datetime.now()
print(dt.isoformat())

Produces standardized time format (ISO 8601) for interoperability.

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10. Practical Example: Scheduling Logic

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

meeting_time = datetime.now() + timedelta(days=2)

if datetime.now() < meeting_time:
    print("Meeting scheduled")
else:
    print("Meeting overdue")

Used in reminders, CRON systems, task automation, and expiry tracking.

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Common Errors with datetime

Issue	Cause
TypeError	Mixing strings and datetime objects
ValueError	Incorrect parsing format
Timezone mismatch	Naive vs aware datetime

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Enterprise Use-Cases

• Token expiration validation

• Log timestamping

• Activity scheduling

• Time-based reporting

• SLA monitoring

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