MySQL UTC_DATE() Function

Summary: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the MySQL UTC_DATE() function to get the current UTC date.

Introduction to the MySQL UTC_DATE() function

The UTC_DATE() function lets you get the current date in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Here’s the syntax of the UTC_DATE() function:

UTC_DATE()Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

The UTC_DATE() doesn’t accept any argument and returns the current date in UTC. The UTC() function is useful when you want to handle dates consistently across different time zones.

MySQL UTC_DATE() function examples

Let’s take some examples of using the UTC_DATE() function.

1) Simple UTC_DATE() function example

The following example uses the UTC_DATE() function to display the current UTC DATE():

SELECT UTC_DATE();Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Output:

+------------+
| UTC_DATE() |
+------------+
| 2023-10-18 |
+------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

2) Using the UTC_DATE() function with table data

First, create a new table called events with the following structure:

CREATE TABLE events (
  id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  date DATE NOT NULL
);Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Second, insert some rows using the UTC_DATE() function:

INSERT INTO events (name, date) 
VALUES ('AI Conference', UTC_DATE()),
       ('Tech Summit', UTC_DATE()),
       ('RPA Conf', UTC_DATE());Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Third, query data from the events table:

SELECT 
  name, 
  date 
FROM 
  events;Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Output:

+---------------+------------+
| name          | date       |
+---------------+------------+
| AI Conference | 2023-10-18 |
| Tech Summit   | 2023-10-18 |
| RPA Conf      | 2023-10-18 |
+---------------+------------+
3 rows in set (0.00 sec)Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Summary

• Use the UTC_DATE() function to get the current UTC date.