[discrete]
[[esql-date_diff]]
=== `DATE_DIFF`

*Syntax*

[.text-center]
image::esql/functions/signature/date_diff.svg[Embedded,opts=inline]

*Parameters*

`unit`::
Time difference unit.

`startTimestamp`::
Start timestamp.

`endTimestamp`::
End timestamp.

*Description*

Subtracts the `startTimestamp` from the `endTimestamp` and returns the
difference in multiples of `unit`. If `startTimestamp` is later than the
`endTimestamp`, negative values are returned.

[cols="^,^",role="styled"]
|===
2+h|Datetime difference units

s|unit
s|abbreviations

| year        | years, yy, yyyy
| quarter     | quarters, qq, q
| month       | months, mm, m
| dayofyear   | dy, y
| day         | days, dd, d
| week        | weeks, wk, ww
| weekday     | weekdays, dw
| hour        | hours, hh
| minute      | minutes, mi, n
| second      | seconds, ss, s
| millisecond | milliseconds, ms
| microsecond | microseconds, mcs
| nanosecond  | nanoseconds, ns
|===

include::types/date_diff.asciidoc[]

*Example*

[source.merge.styled,esql]
----
include::{esql-specs}/date.csv-spec[tag=docsDateDiff]
----
[%header.monospaced.styled,format=dsv,separator=|]
|===
include::{esql-specs}/date.csv-spec[tag=docsDateDiff-result]
|===