MySQL CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() Function

The CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() function in MySQL returns the current date and time in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS or as a numeric value in the YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.uuuuuu format.

Definition and Usage

• The CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() function returns the current date and time.

Syntax

CURRENT_TIMESTAMP()

Technical Details

• Works in: From MySQL 4.0
• Return Value: Returns the current date and time in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.

Examples

Example 1: Return current date and time

SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP();

Output:

2024-12-28 14:30:15

This query will return the current date and time in the YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS format.

Example 2: Return current date and time + 1 second

SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() + 1;

Output:

2024-12-28 14:30:16

This query adds 1 second to the current timestamp and returns the updated date and time.

Related Functions

• NOW(): Equivalent to CURRENT_TIMESTAMP().
• CURDATE(): Returns the current date.
• CURTIME(): Returns the current time.
• CURRENT_DATE(): Returns the current date (equivalent to CURDATE()).
• CURRENT_TIME(): Returns the current time (equivalent to CURTIME()).

Use Cases

• Logging Events: When you need to store the timestamp of an event, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() is ideal.
• Time Calculations: It is useful in date-time arithmetic or when comparing timestamps for query filtering.
• Default Values: You can use CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() to set the default value of a column as the current date and time when inserting records.