parse an apache log timestamp, which looks something like `[17/Jan/2015:22:59:59 -0600]`

gistfile1.py

# from: http://www.seehuhn.de/blog/52
class Timezone(datetime.tzinfo):
    def __init__(self, name="+0000"):
        self.name = name
        seconds = int(name[:-2])*3600+int(name[-2:])*60
        self.offset = datetime.timedelta(seconds=seconds)

    def utcoffset(self, dt):
        return self.offset

    def dst(self, dt):
        return datetime.timedelta(0)

    def tzname(self, dt):
        return self.name


def parse_apache_log_timestamp(ts):
    ts = ts.strip("[]")
    tt = time.strptime(ts[:-6], "%d/%b/%Y:%H:%M:%S")
    tt = list(tt[:6]) + [ 0, Timezone(ts[-5:]) ]
    d = datetime.datetime(*tt)

    # remove TZ offset
    dd = d - d.utcoffset()
    return dd.replace(tzinfo=None)


print(parse_apache_log_timestamp("[17/Jan/2015:22:59:59 -0600]"))  # --> 2015-01-18 04:59:59