MariaDB TIMESTAMPDIFF() Function

In MariaDB, TIMESTAMPDIFF() is a built-in function that returns the difference between two datetimes.

MariaDB TIMESTAMPDIFF() Syntax

This is the syntax of the MariaDB TIMESTAMPDIFF() function:

TIMESTAMPDIFF(unit, datetime1, datetime2)

Parameters

unit

Required. The unit of return, available values ​​are: MICROSECOND, SECOND, MINUTE, HOUR, DAY, , WEEK, MONTH, QUARTER, YEAR.

datetime1

Required. A datetime value or expression.

datetime2

Required. A datetime value or expression.

If you supply the wrong number of arguments, MariaDB will report an error: ERROR 1064 (42000): You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MariaDB server version for the right syntax to use near ')' at line 1.

Return value

MariaDB TIMESTAMPDIFF() function returns the difference between two dates/datetimes.

If either argument is NULL, the TIMESTAMPDIFF() function will return NULL.

MariaDB TIMESTAMPDIFF() Examples

Example 1 - date value

This statement returns the number of days between two dates using the MariaDB TIMESTAMPDIFF() function:

SELECT TIMESTAMPDIFF(DAY, '2023-01-01', '2023-01-12');

Output:

+------------------------------------------------+
| TIMESTAMPDIFF(DAY, '2023-01-01', '2023-01-12') |
+------------------------------------------------+
|                                             11 |
+------------------------------------------------+

Example 2 - datetime value

This statement returns the number of seconds between two dates using the MariaDB TIMESTAMPDIFF() function:

SELECT TIMESTAMPDIFF(SECOND, '2023-01-01 10:12:13', '2023-01-01 10:12:14') Result;

Output:

+--------+
| Result |
+--------+
|      1 |
+--------

Example 3 - Negative values

If the first time is later than the second parameter, the MariaDB TIMESTAMPDIFF() function will return a negative value:

SELECT TIMESTAMPDIFF(DAY, '2023-01-12', '2023-01-01');

Output:

+------------------------------------------------+
| TIMESTAMPDIFF(DAY, '2023-01-12', '2023-01-01') |
+------------------------------------------------+
|                                            -11 |
+------------------------------------------------+

Conclusion

In MariaDB, TIMESTAMPDIFF() is a built-in function that returns the difference between two datetimes.