Linux date Command: Display and Format the Current Time

date displays the current date and time and outputs it in the specified format. It is especially useful for creating date strings in automation scripts.

What is the date command?

The default output is affected by the system timezone and locale. If you specify +FORMAT, you can output only the fields you need, and using -u displays it in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It also has the ability to actually set the time, but this should be distinguished from regular query operations.

Basic syntax

date [option] [+format]

Installed implementations and options may vary depending on the distribution. Check the current system's description with man date.

Examples

Current date and time

Outputs according to the default locale and timezone.

date

Consistent date format

Displays the date in year-month-day format for filenames or log identifiers.

date +%Y-%m-%d

Check UTC time

Reduces the time zone difference when comparing log times between servers.

date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ

Understanding Display Formats and Time Zones

date can display the current time or change the format. The following command outputs the time in a fixed format based on UTC, but the date and values will vary each time it is run.

date -u '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M UTC'

Example output:

2026-09-28 00:00 UTC

If you omit -u, the current system time zone setting will be applied. %Y is the four-digit year, %m is the month, and %d is the day. The above date is an example value for explanation and is not a record of setting the actual system time. Changing the system time affects authentication, logs, and scheduled tasks, so distinguish it from simple viewing.

Main Options and Format

Precautions when using

Changing the system time using date -s can affect logs, authentication, and scheduled tasks. Check the time synchronization status before changing the clock. Quoting the format string may be necessary in the shell, and GNU-specific options differ from other Unix environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which time zone does the output of date follow?

By default, it follows the system or the time zone specified in the TZ environment variable. Use -u to view it in UTC.

Official Documentation

You can check the exact behavior of the options and implementation differences in the official date documentation.