mysql get minutes between a datetime and NOW()

Question

I'm trying to calculate how many minutes have elapsed between a saved DateTime and NOW(), how can I accomplish this?

Answer 1

Use the TIMESTAMPDIFF() built-in function:

SELECT TIMESTAMPDIFF(MINUTE, my_datatime_col, now())

You may have to swap the datetime values to get the right sign (positive/negative) on the result if the column is before/after "now".