How to Get current date and time in GitHub workflows

In GitHub workflows, you can use various methods to obtain the current date and time, depending on where you want to retrieve this information within the workflow. Here are some common approaches:

1. Using Bash Scripts

GitHub Actions enables you to run Bash scripts in any workflow step to fetch the current date and time. For example:

yaml
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - name: Get current date and time
      run: echo "The current date and time is $(date)"

This leverages the date command in Bash to retrieve the current date and time, which is then printed. This command is widely available on most Linux systems.

2. Using Environment Variables

GitHub Actions provides several default environment variables, including RUNNER_TIMESTAMP, which captures the start time of the current workflow step. You can directly utilize this variable in your steps:

yaml
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - name: Get timestamp from environment variable
      run: echo "The runner timestamp is $RUNNER_TIMESTAMP"

3. Using Third-Party Actions

The GitHub Marketplace offers numerous third-party actions for obtaining date and time information. For instance, using the svenstaro/upload-release-action action not only retrieves time but can also serve other purposes. You must include and configure these actions in your workflow file.

yaml
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - name: Get current date
      id: date
      uses: gerred/actions/current-time@v1
    - name: Use the Current Date
      run: echo "The current date is ${{ steps.date.outputs.time }}"

Here, the current-time third-party action is employed to fetch the current time, with its output integrated into the step.

Example Use Case

Consider an automated deployment workflow where you need to log the date and time of each deployment. You can add a step using one of the above methods to obtain the date and time, saving it to a log file or passing it to subsequent workflow steps.

In Summary

In summary, obtaining date and time depends on your specific requirements—whether directly using Bash scripts, leveraging environment variables, or utilizing third-party GitHub Actions.