Date and Time

Every serious developer, even at the beginning of their journey, eventually faces a common challenge — handling date and time. Whether you're building a blog, a data processing tool, or an event scheduler, working with time-related data is inevitable. Tasks like logging, time zone conversions, date validation, or calculating time differences come up regularly in real-world projects.

Python provides powerful, built-in tools for working with dates and times, but many beginners struggle with understanding its structure and syntax. That's why mastering this topic early will give you a strong foundation and help you avoid painful bugs later. This guide walks you through the basics of working with dates and times in the programming language — clearly, professionally, and with real examples.

If you don’t understand how time works in your application, your application doesn’t work.

How to Get the Current Date and Time in Python?

Getting the current date and time is one of the first and most essential things you should learn. Python includes the datetime module, which provides everything you need to work with both date and time objects. The most direct way to fetch the current moment is to use datetime.now(), which returns the current local date and time as a single object.

This object includes the year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and microsecond — all in one call. You can then format or extract parts of this object depending on what your program needs. This is especially useful in log generation, file naming, and timestamping events.

Here's how to get started:

    from datetime import datetime

    now = datetime.now()
    print(now)  # Output: 2025-06-02 15:27:43.562781
  

In this example, now holds the current date and time, including microseconds. The output format is YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.mmmmmm, which is the default representation of a datetime object.

You can also use datetime.today(), which returns the same result as now() without any timezone awareness. But for most use cases, now() is your go-to method.

How to Print Current Date and Time in Python?

Once you've retrieved the current date and time using datetime.now(), printing it is simple — just use the print() function. However, the output includes both the date and time in a raw format that may not be easy to read. To improve readability or customize the format, use the strftime() method. This function allows you to define how the output should look using format codes. It’s a must-know if you’re working on any user-facing application or generating logs.

• %Y — Full year (e.g., 2025)
• %m — Month as two digits (e.g., 06)
• %d — Day of the month (e.g., 02)
• %H — Hour in 24-hour format (e.g., 15)
• %M — Minutes (e.g., 45)
• %S — Seconds (e.g., 09)

    from datetime import datetime

    now = datetime.now()
    formatted = now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
    print(formatted)  # Output: 2025-06-02 15:45:09
  

In this example, the strftime() method formats the date and time into a more readable string. You can customize the format to suit your needs, whether for logging, user interfaces, or data storage.

How to Get Date in Python Without Time?

In many situations, you only need the date — without hours, minutes, or seconds. To achieve this, use the date() method from a datetime object. This strips away the time portion and returns only the date. It’s commonly used in reports, UI elements, and when comparing days without considering exact times. The output is a date object, which still allows formatting and comparison.

    from datetime import datetime

    today = datetime.now().date()
    print(today)  # Output: 2025-06-02
  

In this example, today holds the current date without any time information. The output is in the format YYYY-MM-DD, which is standard for date representation.

You can also extract individual parts like year, month, or day from the result if needed.

How to Remove Time from Date?

If you have a datetime object and want to remove the time portion, use the .date() method. This returns a date object containing only the year, month, and day. It’s a common step when comparing dates without needing time precision. It also simplifies data for reporting, summaries, and grouping operations. The resulting object still supports formatting and comparisons.

    from datetime import datetime

    dt = datetime.now()
    only_date = dt.date()
    print(only_date)  # Output: 2025-06-02
  

In this example, only_date holds the date part of the current datetime, effectively removing the time. This is useful when you want to focus solely on the date aspect in your application logic.

How to Convert Datetime to String?

To convert a datetime object into a string, use the strftime() method. It lets you define the output format using specific formatting codes like %Y for year or %d for day. This is often used for displaying timestamps in user interfaces, saving filenames, or exporting logs. Formatting makes date data more readable and standardized across your application. You can include separators, full month names, and more.

    from datetime import datetime

    now = datetime.now()
    formatted = now.strftime("%d/%m/%Y %H:%M:%S")
    print(formatted)  # Output: 02/06/2025 16:32:05
  

In this example, the datetime object is formatted into a string that includes the day, month, year, hour, minute, and second. This format is often used in logs or user-facing applications where clarity is essential.

How to Add Date and Time?

You can perform addition with date and time using the timedelta class from the datetime module. This allows you to shift a datetime forward by days, hours, minutes, or even weeks. Adding time is essential for scheduling events, setting expiration dates, or calculating reminders. Just create a timedelta with your desired interval and add it to a datetime object. The result is a new datetime with the added duration.

    from datetime import datetime, timedelta

    now = datetime.now()
    future = now + timedelta(days=3, hours=2)
    print(future)  # Output: 2025-06-05 18:32:05
  

In this example, we add 3 days and 2 hours to the current datetime. The timedelta class makes it easy to manipulate time values without complex calculations. This is particularly useful in applications like booking systems, reminders, and scheduling tasks.

What You Will Learn?

This section gives you a solid understanding of how to work with date and time in the programming language. You’ll explore the standard tools, learn how to interpret and format data, and manipulate time values accurately. Each topic is written with clarity and practical relevance, based on my years of real-world development and teaching. These fundamentals are not just theoretical — they’re the core of writing reliable, production-ready code.

Frequently Asked Questions