# The Now block

<img alt="The Now block" src="https://assets.postman.com/postman-docs/v11/flows-reference-blocks-now-v11.53.2.jpg" width="280px" />

When the flow runs, the **Now** block sends the current date and time as the number of milliseconds since the Unix epoch (January 1, 1970). This block is useful for generating timestamps and tracking when flows are triggered.

## Output

The **Now** block has a single output port that sends the current date and time.

## Setup

Connect the **Now** block's output port to another block's input port. It sends the current date and time from its output port.

## Example

To see the **Now** block in an example flow, check out [Flow Snippets: Now](https://www.postman.com/postman/flows-snippets/flow/63bc6e61e308d202595085c9).

## Related pages

For a tutorial that uses the **Now** block, see [Calculate the years since a milestone](/docs/postman-flows/tutorials/beginner/calculate-years-since-milestone/).