MySQL UTC_TIME() Function

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

Introduction MySQL UTC_TIME() function

The UTC_TIME() function returns the current time in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

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

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

The UTC_TIME() has no parameter and returns a string in the hh:mm:ss or a number that represents the current time in UTC.

In practice, you use the UTC_TIME() function to handle time consistently regardless of the server’s timezone settings.

MySQL UTC_TIME() function examples

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

1) Simple UTC_TIME() function example

The following example uses the UTC_TIME() function to show the current UTC time:

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

Output:

+------------+
| UTC_TIME() |
+------------+
| 02:10:33   |
+------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

2) Using UTC_TIME() in numeric context

The following example shows how to use the UTC_TIME() function in numeric contexts:

SELECT UTC_TIME() + 0;Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Output:

+----------------+
| UTC_TIME() + 0 |
+----------------+
|          21411 |
+----------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

In this example, we use the UTC_TIME() function to get the current time and add 0 to it to force the result of the query as a number.

The result is 21411 consisting of 2: hours, 14: minutes, and 11: seconds.

Summary

Use UTC_TIME() to get the current time in UTC.

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