# Built-in functions in Amazon Keyspaces
<a name="cql.functions"></a>

Amazon Keyspaces (for Apache Cassandra) supports a variety of built-in functions that you can use in Cassandra Query Language (CQL) statements.

**Topics**
+ [Scalar functions](#cql.functions.scalar)

## Scalar functions
<a name="cql.functions.scalar"></a>

A *scalar function* performs a calculation on a single value and returns the result as a single value. Amazon Keyspaces supports the following scalar functions.


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| Function | Description | 
| --- | --- | 
| `blobAsType` | Returns a value of the specified data type. | 
| `cast` | Converts one native data type into another native data type. | 
| `currentDate` | Returns the current date/time as a date. | 
| `currentTime` | Returns the current date/time as a time. | 
| `currentTimestamp` | Returns the current date/time as a timestamp. | 
| `currentTimeUUID` | Returns the current date/time as a timeuuid. | 
| `fromJson` | Converts the JSON string into the selected column's data type.  | 
| `maxTimeuuid` | Returns the largest possible timeuuid for timestamp or date string.  | 
| `minTimeuuid` | Returns the smallest possible timeuuid for timestamp or date string.  | 
| `now` | Returns a new unique timeuuid.  | 
| `toDate` | Converts either a timeuuid or a timestamp to a date type. | 
| `toJson` | Returns the column value of the selected column in JSON format.  | 
| `token` | Returns the hash value of the partition key.  | 
| `toTimestamp` | Converts either a timeuuid or a date to a timestamp. | 
| `TTL` | Returns the expiration time in seconds for a column. | 
| `typeAsBlob` | Converts the specified data type into a blob. | 
| `toUnixTimestamp` | Converts either a timeuuid or a timestamp into a bigInt. | 
| `uuid` | Returns a random version 4 UUID.  | 
| `writetime` | Returns the timestamp of the value of the specified column. | 
| `dateOf` | (Deprecated) Extracts the timestamp of a timeuuid, and returns the value as a date. | 
| `unixTimestampOf` | (Deprecated) Extracts the timestamp of a timeuuid, and returns the value as a raw, 64-bit integer timestamp.  |