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Get the current time from the internet in Python

Get the real current time in Python from a time API instead of the system clock: requests examples, UTC, time zones with DST, clock offset, async.

Updated

Short answer: datetime.now() returns the machine's clock. For the real current time from the internet in Python, call a time API with requests and read the timestamp from the JSON.

import os, requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.timelogicapi.com/v1/time/current",
    params={"tz": "UTC"},
    headers={"X-API-Key": os.environ["TIMELOGIC_API_KEY"]},
    timeout=5,
)
r.raise_for_status()
now = r.json()
print(now["utc"], now["unix"])  # 2026-10-30T16:22:54Z 1793377374

How do I turn the response into a datetime?

from datetime import datetime, timezone

utc_now = datetime.fromtimestamp(now["unix_ms"] / 1000, tz=timezone.utc)
local = datetime.fromisoformat(now["iso_local"])  # keeps the offset

How do I get the current time in another time zone?

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.timelogicapi.com/v1/time/current",
    params={"tz": "Asia/Kolkata"},
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['TIMELOGIC_API_KEY']}"},
    timeout=5,
)
print(r.json()["iso_local"])  # local time with its +05:30 offset

Comma-separate up to 10 zones (tz=Europe/London,Asia/Tokyo) for a bulk request. You can also pass ip= or lat= and lon= instead of tz; see timezone from an IP address and timezone from coordinates.

How do I correct a machine whose clock is wrong?

Measure the offset once and apply it, instead of calling the API in a loop:

import time

t0 = time.time()
unix_ms = requests.get(
    "https://api.timelogicapi.com/v1/time/current",
    params={"tz": "UTC"},
    headers={"X-API-Key": os.environ["TIMELOGIC_API_KEY"]},
    timeout=5,
).json()["unix_ms"]
t1 = time.time()
offset = unix_ms / 1000 - (t0 + t1) / 2  # seconds to add to time.time()

def trusted_time() -> float:
    return time.time() + offset

For keeping a server's own clock in sync, use the operating system's NTP service; the NTP vs time API guide explains when each fits.

Async code (aiohttp)

import asyncio, os, aiohttp

async def main():
    headers = {"X-API-Key": os.environ["TIMELOGIC_API_KEY"]}
    async with aiohttp.ClientSession(headers=headers) as session:
        async with session.get("https://api.timelogicapi.com/v1/time/current", params={"tz": "Europe/Berlin"}) as resp:
            print((await resp.json())["iso_local"])

asyncio.run(main())

Is there a Python SDK?

Yes, an official Python client is listed in the SDK guide. The examples above use plain requests so they work anywhere.

I used worldtimeapi.org from Python. What changes?

Only the host and a key. requests.get("http://worldtimeapi.org/api/timezone/Europe/London") becomes a request to https://api.timelogicapi.com/api/timezone/Europe/London with your key, and r.json()["datetime"] keeps working. The migration guide shows the diff.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

How do I get the current time from the internet in Python?

Send a GET request to a time API and parse the JSON. With requests: requests.get('https://api.timelogicapi.com/v1/time/current', params={'tz': 'UTC'}, headers={'X-API-Key': key}).json() returns unix, unix_ms, utc and iso_local. datetime.now() only reads the local clock.

How do I get UTC time in Python?

From the system clock: datetime.now(timezone.utc). From the internet, independent of the machine's clock: call GET /v1/time/current?tz=UTC and read utc or unix.

How do I get the current time in a specific time zone with Python?

Pass the IANA zone to the API (tz=Asia/Kolkata) and read iso_local, which carries the offset. Locally, zoneinfo.ZoneInfo('Asia/Kolkata') does the same if the machine's clock and tz database are current.

Should I use NTP or an HTTP API from Python?

Use NTP (the operating system's time sync, or the ntplib package) to keep a machine's clock correct. Use an HTTP time API when you need the time in a given zone, DST details, or a signed timestamp, or when UDP port 123 is blocked.