The MySQL CURDATE function is a date and time function that returns the current date without a time component. It is commonly used when you need to work with date values and want to obtain the current date for various purposes in a MySQL query or script.

Syntax

The syntax for the CURDATE function is simple:

CURDATE()

When you execute this function, it returns the current date in the ‘YYYY-MM-DD’ format, where ‘YYYY’ represents the four-digit year, ‘MM’ represents the two-digit month, and ‘DD’ represents the two-digit day.

Example

Here’s an example of how you might use the CURDATE function in a MySQL query:

SELECT CURDATE();

This query will return the current date in the format mentioned earlier.

You can use the CURDATE() function in various scenarios, such as when inserting records into a table with a date column to set the current date, or when filtering data based on the current date.

For instance, if you have a table named “orders” with a column named “order_date,” and you want to retrieve all orders placed today, you can use the CURDATE() function in the following way:

SELECT * FROM orders 
WHERE order_date = CURDATE();

This query selects all records from the “orders” table where the “order_date” column matches the current date.

It’s important to note that the CURDATE() function does not include a time component, so it is set to midnight of the current day.

In addition to CURDATE, MySQL provides other date and time functions like NOW, CURRENT_DATE, and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, each serving different purposes when it comes to working with date and time data in your MySQL database.