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Date and Time in Python

Working with dates and times is a common task in programming. Python’s built-in datetime module provides classes for manipulating dates and times.

The datetime Module

To use dates, you must first import the datetime module.

import datetime


# Get current date and time
x = datetime.datetime.now()
print(x) # Output: e.g., 2026-04-19 12:30:45.123456

Creating Date Objects

You can create a date object by passing the year, month, and day to the datetime.datetime() class.

import datetime


x = datetime.datetime(2026, 4, 17)
print(x) # Output: 2026-04-17 00:00:00

Formatting Dates (strftime)

The strftime() method (string format time) allows you to format date objects into readable strings. It uses format codes like %Y (Year), %m (Month), %d (Day), etc.

import datetime


x = datetime.datetime.now()


print(x.strftime("%B")) # Output: e.g., 'April' (Full month name)
print(x.strftime("%Y")) # Output: e.g., '2026' (Full year)
print(x.strftime("%d-%m-%Y")) # Output: e.g., '19-04-2026'

Parsing Dates (strptime)

If you have a date in string format, you can convert it into a datetime object using strptime() (string parse time).

import datetime


date_string = "17 April, 2026"
date_object = datetime.datetime.strptime(date_string, "%d %B, %Y")


print(date_object) # Output: 2026-04-17 00:00:00

Common Format Codes

CodeDescriptionExample
%aWeekday, short versionWed
%AWeekday, full versionWednesday
%wWeekday as a number 0-63
%dDay of month 01-3117
%bMonth name, short versionApr
%BMonth name, full versionApril
%mMonth as a number 01-1204
%YYear, full version2026
%HHour 00-2317
%MMinute 00-5945
%SSecond 00-5908

Practical Use: Backdating

In version control systems like Git, you can use these concepts to understand how commit dates are structured. While Git handles this automatically, understanding the underlying date formats helps when debugging history or generating reports.