In MariaDB, CURTIME() is a built-in date and time function that returns the current time.

The time is returned in either 'HH:MM:SS' or HHMMSS.uuuuuu format, depending on whether the function is being used in a string or numeric context.

You also have the option of specifying the microsecond precision.

Syntax

The syntax goes like this:

CURTIME([precision])

Where precision is an optional argument that specifies the microsecond precision.

It also has the following synonyms:

CURRENT_TIME
CURRENT_TIME([precision])

Example

Here’s an example:

SELECT CURTIME();

Result:

+-----------+
| CURTIME() |
+-----------+
| 09:30:12  |
+-----------+

Numeric Context

When CURTIME() is used in a numeric context, the resulting time is in HHMMSS.uuuuuu format.

Example:

SELECT
    CURTIME(),
    CURTIME() + 0;

Result:

+-----------+---------------+
| CURTIME() | CURTIME() + 0 |
+-----------+---------------+
| 09:31:39  |         93139 |
+-----------+---------------+

Precision

Here’s an example of specifying microsecond precision:

SELECT
    CURTIME(3),
    CURTIME(3) + 0;

Result:

+--------------+----------------+
| CURTIME(3)   | CURTIME(3) + 0 |
+--------------+----------------+
| 09:32:44.678 |      93244.678 |
+--------------+----------------+

The maximum value for the microsecond precision is 6. Here’s what happens when a higher number is passed for the precision:

SELECT CURTIME(12);

Result:

ERROR 1426 (42000): Too big precision 12 specified for 'curtime'. Maximum is 6

Synonyms

CURRENT_TIME and CURRENT_TIME() are synonyms for CURTIME(). Therefore, we can use either one to get the same result.

Example:

SELECT 
    CURTIME(),
    CURRENT_TIME,
    CURRENT_TIME();

Result:

+-----------+--------------+----------------+
| CURTIME() | CURRENT_TIME | CURRENT_TIME() |
+-----------+--------------+----------------+
| 09:33:32  | 09:33:32     | 09:33:32       |
+-----------+--------------+----------------+

Adding to the Current Time

There are many ways to perform arithmetic on time values in MariaDB. You can use such methods to add a number of hours, minutes, seconds, etc.

Here’s an example of using the addition operator (+) to add 2 hours to the time:

SELECT 
    CURTIME(),
    CURTIME() + INTERVAL 2 HOUR;

Result:

+-----------+-----------------------------+
| CURTIME() | CURTIME() + INTERVAL 2 HOUR |
+-----------+-----------------------------+
| 09:35:03  | 11:35:03                    |
+-----------+-----------------------------+

Also see functions like ADDTIME() for an alternative way to add to the current time.

Subtracting from the Current Time

Here’s an example of using the subtraction operator (-) to subtract 2 hours from the current time:

SELECT 
    CURTIME(),
    CURTIME() - INTERVAL 2 HOUR;

Result:

+-----------+-----------------------------+
| CURTIME() | CURTIME() - INTERVAL 2 HOUR |
+-----------+-----------------------------+
| 09:35:41  | 07:35:41                    |
+-----------+-----------------------------+

See functions like SUBTIME() for an alternative way to subtract from the current time.