# std::chrono::system_clock

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< cpp‎ | chrono

Defined in header `<chrono>` |  |
class system_clock; |  | (since C++11)

Class `std::chrono::system_clock` represents the system-wide real time wall clock.

It may not be monotonic: on most systems, the system time can be adjusted at any moment. It is the only C++ clock that has the ability to map its time points to C-style time, and, therefore, to be displayed (until C++20).

`std::chrono::system_clock` meets the requirements of TrivialClock.

The epoch of `system_clock` is unspecified, but most implementations use Unix Time (i.e., time since 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Thursday, 1 January 1970, not counting leap seconds). | (until C++20)
`system_clock` measures Unix Time (i.e., time since 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Thursday, 1 January 1970, not counting leap seconds). | (since C++20)

### Time point family

Defined in namespace `std::chrono` |  |
template<class Duration> using sys_time = std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, Duration>; |  | (since C++20)
using sys_seconds = sys_time<std::chrono::seconds>; |  | (since C++20)
using sys_days = sys_time<std::chrono::days>; |  | (since C++20)

operator<< (std::chrono::sys_time) (C++20) | performs stream output on a sys_time (function template)
from_stream (std::chrono::sys_time) (C++20) | parses a sys_time from a stream according to the provided format (function template)
to_stream (std::chrono::sys_time) (C++20) | outputs a sys_time into a stream according to the provided format (function template)

### Member types

Member type | Definition
`rep` | signed arithmetic type representing the number of ticks in the clock's duration
`period` | a std::ratio type representing the tick period of the clock, in seconds
`duration` | std::chrono::duration<rep, period>, capable of representing negative durations
`time_point` | std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock>

### Member constants

constexpr bool is_steady [static] | true if the time between ticks is always constant, i.e. calls to `now()` return values that increase monotonically even in case of some external clock adjustment, otherwise false (public static member constant)

### Member functions

now [static] | returns a std::chrono::time_point representing the current point in time (public static member function)
to_time_t [static] | converts a system clock time point to std::time_t (public static member function)
from_time_t [static] | converts std::time_t to a system clock time point (public static member function)

### See also

steady_clock (C++11) | monotonic clock that will never be adjusted (class)
high_resolution_clock (C++11) | the clock with the shortest tick period available (class)

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