DevEquiv

    Python strftime() to Java DateTimeFormatter Converter

    Paste a Python strftime() format to get the equivalent java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter pattern.

    Token-by-token mapping

    Shown one token at a time — some dialects combine two adjacent tokens (like a day number plus an ordinal suffix) into a single result above, which can differ slightly from this per-token view.

    Close equivalent

    Python strftime()
    %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S
    Java DateTimeFormatter
    yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss

    Main limitation: DateTimeFormatter, like date-fns, uses letter-repetition (`d` vs `dd`, `M`/`MM`/`MMM`/`MMMM`) instead of strftime's one-directive-per-meaning scheme.

    How it differs

    • DateTimeFormatter, like date-fns, uses letter-repetition (d vs dd, M/MM/MMM/MMMM) instead of strftime's one-directive-per-meaning scheme.
    • Python's %d (zero-padded day) always maps cleanly to Java's dd, but strftime has no non-padded day directive at all, so there is nothing corresponding to Java's single d to convert *from* in this direction.
    • Java's e/c (locale-dependent numeric weekday) are intentionally left unmapped here because their meaning shifts with the JVM's default locale, unlike strftime's %u which is always ISO-8601 (Monday=1).

    Examples

    Standard timestamp

    Python strftime() %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S
    Java DateTimeFormatter yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss

    Every directive maps to an equal-meaning Java pattern letter run.

    Long-form date

    Python strftime() %A, %B %d, %Y
    Java DateTimeFormatter EEEE, MMMM dd, yyyy

    Full weekday/month names and zero-padded day both convert exactly.

    Edge cases

    Edge case

    Java literal text is quoted with single quotes exactly like date-fns, including doubled quotes ('') for a literal apostrophe.

    Edge case

    strftime's %f (microseconds, 6 digits) maps to Java's SSSSSS; Java's 3-digit SSS (milliseconds) has no strftime source since Python has no milliseconds-only directive.

    References

    • Python docs — strftime() and strptime() format codes (v3.x) — checked 2026-07-29
    • Java SE docs — DateTimeFormatter (v21) — checked 2026-07-29

    Last verified 2026-07-29.