Depends on which kind you're looking for.

The current integer Unix Timestamp (1350517005) can be retrieved like so:

SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP();

MySQL often displays timestamps as date/time strings. To get one of those, these are your basic options (from the MySQL Date & Time reference):

SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;
SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP();
SELECT NOW();
Answer from Brad Koch on Stack Overflow
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W3Schools
w3schools.com › sql › func_mysql_current_timestamp.asp
MySQL CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() Function
SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() + 1; Try it Yourself » · ❮ Previous ❮ MySQL Functions Next ❯ · ★ +1 · Sign in to track progress · REMOVE ADS · PLUS · SPACES · GET CERTIFIED · FOR TEACHERS · BOOTCAMPS · CONTACT US · × · If you want to use W3Schools services as an educational institution, team or enterprise, send us an e-mail: sales@w3schools.com ·
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PHP
php.net › manual › en › function.date.php
PHP: date - Manual
Additionally, some databases have functions to convert their date formats into timestamps (such as MySQL's » UNIX_TIMESTAMP function).
Discussions

Defaulting a "date" field to the current datetime?
DATETIME and TIMESTAMP can take those as defaults. For a DATE type, you have to use an "expression default", which means you need to be on at least 8.0.13 and use an extra set of parentheses. -- This is wrong and will fail CREATE TABLE t (id int, mydate date DEFAULT CURRENT_DATE()); -- This is the correct way CREATE TABLE t (id int, mydate date DEFAULT (CURRENT_DATE())); INSERT INTO t (id) VALUES (1); SELECT * FROM t; +------+------------+ | id | mydate | +------+------------+ | 1 | 2023-12-19 | +------+------------+ https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/data-type-defaults.html#data-type-defaults-explicit More on reddit.com
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2
1
December 19, 2023
Getting timestamp using MySQL - Stack Overflow
How can I get the current timestamp using a mysql query? More on stackoverflow.com
🌐 stackoverflow.com
Changing the default time zone of a current timestamp in MySQL - Databases - SitePoint Forums | Web Development & Design Community
I have a shared host which uses the time zone MST (GMT-7), and I cannot seem to change the time zone for my own database. What is the best way to create a timestamp field in a table that has the default value be the current time in GMT-0? Is setting the default value of the timestamp field ... More on sitepoint.com
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0
July 19, 2008
mysql - CURRENT_TIMESTAMP in milliseconds - Stack Overflow
Is there any way to get milliseconds out of a timestamp in MySql or PostgreSql (or others just out of curiosity)? SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP --> 2012-03-08 20:12:06.032572 Is there anything like ... More on stackoverflow.com
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MySQL
dev.mysql.com › doc › en › date-and-time-functions.html
MySQL :: MySQL 8.4 Reference Manual :: 14.7 Date and Time Functions
The CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(), ... in the current session time zone, which is available as the session value of the time_zone system variable. In addition, UNIX_TIMESTAMP() assumes that its argument is a datetime value in the session time zone. See Section 7.1.15, “MySQL Server Time ...
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Sqliz
sqliz.com › mysql-ref › current_timestamp
MySQL CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() Function
In MySQL, the CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() function returns the current date and time in the YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss or YYYYMMDDhhmmss format.
Find elsewhere
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TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › mysql › mysql_date_time_functions_current_timestamp.htm
MySQL - CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() Function
The MySQL CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() function is the synonym for NOW(). It is used to get the current date and time value local to a system.
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SitePoint
sitepoint.com › databases
Changing the default time zone of a current timestamp in MySQL - Databases - SitePoint Forums | Web Development & Design Community
July 19, 2008 - I have a shared host which uses the time zone MST (GMT-7), and I cannot seem to change the time zone for my own database. What is the best way to create a timestamp field in a table that has the default value be the current time in GMT-0? Is setting the default value of the timestamp field to “DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL -7 HOUR)” a good idea?
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w3resource
w3resource.com › mysql › date-and-time-functions › mysql-utc_timestamp-function.php
MySQL UTC_TIMESTAMP() function - w3resource
3 weeks ago - Example: UTC_TIMESTAMP() function in numeric format · The following statement will return the current UTC date and time in numeric format. ... mysql> SELECT UTC_TIMESTAMP()+0; +-----------------------+ | UTC_TIMESTAMP()+0 | +-----------------------+ | 20150414225635.000000 | +-----------------------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec)
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WordPress
developer.wordpress.org › reference › functions › current_time
current_time() – Function | Developer.WordPress.org
Conclusion: time() !== current_time('timestamp') // There is a big chance that they are not equal ... Since version 5.3, this is not correct anymore. ... You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this noteVote results for this note: -2You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note · This example gets the current time and assigns the parameters to variables. <?php $blogtime = current_time( 'mysql' ); list( $today_year, $today_month, $today_day, $hour, $minute, $second ) = split( '([^0-9])', $blogtime ); ?>
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MySQL
dev.mysql.com › doc › refman › 9.6 › en › timestamp-initialization.html
MySQL :: MySQL 9.6 Reference Manual :: 13.2.5 Automatic Initialization and Updating for TIMESTAMP and DATETIME
TIMESTAMP or DATETIME column definitions can specify the current timestamp for both the default and auto-update values, for one but not the other, or for neither. Different columns can have different combinations of automatic properties. The following rules describe the possibilities: With both DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP and ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, the column has the current timestamp for its default value and is automatically updated to the current timestamp.
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MySQL
dev.mysql.com › doc › en › timestamp-initialization.html
MySQL :: MySQL 8.4 Reference Manual :: 13.2.5 Automatic Initialization and Updating for TIMESTAMP and DATETIME
TIMESTAMP or DATETIME column definitions can specify the current timestamp for both the default and auto-update values, for one but not the other, or for neither. Different columns can have different combinations of automatic properties. The following rules describe the possibilities: With both DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP and ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, the column has the current timestamp for its default value and is automatically updated to the current timestamp.
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Current Millis
currentmillis.com
Current Millis ‐ Milliseconds since Unix Epoch
Convert milliseconds to date - UNIX timestamp - UTC time
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DB Vis
dbvis.com › thetable › mysql-now-function-get-the-current-date-and-time
MySQL NOW Function: Get the Current Date and Time
February 27, 2025 - NOW already returns a TIMESTAMP, but the equivalent CURRENT_TIMESTAMP function can be used for improved clarity. NOW returns both the date and the time. If you want only the current date, you must call the MySQL CURRENT_DATE function.
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Timestamp Converter
timestamp.online
Timestamp Converter
These examples are showing how to get current unix timestamp in seconds.
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DataCamp
datacamp.com › doc › mysql › mysql-now
MySQL NOW() Function: Usage & Examples
Learn how to use the MySQL `NOW()` function to capture current timestamps for SQL operations like data insertion, updates, and logging, ensuring accurate time tracking.
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myway SQL Manager
myway-sql.com › mysql functions › date and time functions
MySQL, MariaDB CURRENT_TIMESTAMP SQL Function, Current timestamp
March 27, 2023 - CURRENT_TIMESTAMP SQL Function in MySQL and MariaDB, Current timestamp. Description, help and SQL examples
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Year_2038_problem
Year 2038 problem - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - While the native APIs of OpenVMS can support timestamps up to 31 July 31086, the C runtime library (CRTL) uses 32-bit integers for time_t. As part of Y2K compliance work that was carried out in 1998, the CRTL was modified to use unsigned 32-bit integers to represent time; extending the range of time_t up to 7 February 2106. As of MySQL 8.0.28, released in January 2022, the functions FROM_UNIXTIME(), UNIX_TIMESTAMP(), and CONVERT_TZ() handle 64-bit values on platforms that support them.
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › sql › current_timestamp-function-in-mysql
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() function in MySQL - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() function in MySQL is used to check the current date and time value. In MySQL function, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP is needed when you need to keep a record of the exact time of delivery which is helpful in improving the services and ...