In PostgreSQL, the current_date function returns the current date.

Syntax

The syntax goes like this:

current_date

So it doesn’t accept any parameters.

Note that no parentheses are required (or accepted).

Example

Here’s a basic example to demonstrate.

SELECT current_date;

Result:

2020-07-01

The actual date is based on the start date/time of the current transaction. Therefore, it doesn’t change as the transaction progresses.

So for example, if you start a transaction just before midnight, and the transaction continues through to the next day, the date returned by current_date() will be the date the transaction was started, regardless of whether current_date() is called prior to midnight or after.

This allows a single transaction to have a consistent notion of the “current” time, so that multiple modifications within the same transaction bear the same time stamp.