DateTime Basics and Current Time

2 min read · Updated 26/3/2026

What is datetime Module?

The datetime module in Python is used to work with dates and time.

It allows you to:

Get current date and time
Create custom date and time
Format date and time
Perform operations on dates

datetime, date, and time Classes

The datetime module provides different classes for handling date and time.

date → Handles only date (year, month, day)
time → Handles only time (hour, minute, second)
datetime → Handles both date and time together

Working with date Class

Working with time Class

Working with datetime Class

Getting Current Date and Time

Accessing Individual Components

Note

datetime.now() returns local date and time of your system.

Formatting using strftime()

strftime() is used to format date and time into a readable string.

Common Format Codes

%d → Day
%m → Month
%Y → Year
%H → Hour (24-hour format)
%M → Minute
%S → Second

More Formatting Examples

Pro Tip

Use strftime() to display date and time in user-friendly formats like reports, logs, and dashboards.

Exercise

Print current date
Print only time
Format date as DD-MM-YYYY
Print current day name