Title: API: How to set date/time parameters
Author: staff
Published: August 1, 2022
Last modified: November 12, 2025

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 1. [The Parse.ly API](https://docs.parse.ly/api/)
 2. API: How to set date/time parameters

#  API: How to set date/time parameters

The Parse.ly API allows for both fixed and relative time inputs to query data. Learn
more about [the metrics](https://docs.parse.ly/api-available-metrics/) that you 
can pair with date/time values in queries.

## Fixed Time

Parse.ly allows for a variety of fixed time formats.

| Format | Description | 
| YYYY-MM-DD | Year-Month-Day. Example: `2012-01-02` for January 2nd, 2012. This defaults to your publisher timezone in the dashboard, and is considered end of day (23:59) for end time parameters. | 
| YYYY-MM-DD±00:00 | Year-Month-Day with timezone offset. Example: `2012-01-02-05:00` for January 2nd, 2012 EST. This is assumed to be 23:59 in the specified timezone for end time parameters. | 
| YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm | Year-Month-Day with time in publisher timezone. Example: `2012-01-02T07:30` for January 2nd, 2012 7:30 am. | 
| YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm±00:00 | Year-Month-Day with time and timezone. Example: `2012-01-02T07:30+00:00` for January 2nd, 2012 7:30 am UTC. |

All values need to be appropriately URL-encoded when submitted, or you may receive
an error. Notably, the `+` sign in positive timezone offsets will need to be converted
to `%2B`, either your HTTP request library or manually, otherwise it will be interpreted
as a space.

Timezone offsets in string form, e.g. `Eastern`, `EST` or `UTC`, are not allowed.

## Relative Time

Parse.ly also allows for relative time formats.

Relative times are a number followed by `m`, `h`, `d`, `w` for minutes, hours, days,
and weeks, respectively.

Examples: `15m` for 15 minutes ago, `24h` for 24 hours ago.

Formats like `15min`, `15 min` or `15minutes` should not be used.

Last updated: November 12, 2025