How to Get the Current Date in SQLite

Problem

You’d like to get the current date in an SQLite database.

Solution

We’ll use the function DATE() to get the current date.

SELECT DATE('now');

Here’s the result of the query:

2019-10-15

Discussion

The SQLite function DATE('now') returns the current date as a text value. It uses the YYYY-MM-DD format, where YYYY is a 4-digit year, MM is a 2-digit month, and DD is a 2-digit day of the month.

This function takes one argument: the text 'now' indicates the current date and time. However, you don’t have to add it, as 'now' is the default. You can just use:

SELECT DATE();