When is it best to use the DateTime or Timestamp datatypes in databases?

In databases, both Timestamp and DateTime represent time-related data, but they have different characteristics and purposes.

A Timestamp is a sequence of characters or encoded values that represents a specific moment in time, typically measured in seconds or milliseconds since a fixed reference point, such as January 1, 1970, UTC (also known as the Unix epoch).

Timestamps are useful for recording precise moments when an event occurred, such as when a post was created on Twitter, then createdAt, or when a transaction was processed or a record was updated.

In most databases, timestamps are automatically generated by the system when a new row is inserted or updated, and they cannot be directly modified by the user.

A DateTime, on the other hand, represents a specific date and time, including year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. Datetimes are useful for recording events that occur over a span of time, such as a meeting or a project deadline.

Unlike timestamps, DateTime can be directly modified by the user, and they can also be used to perform arithmetic operations, such as adding or subtracting days, hours, or minutes.

DateTime is useful when we want to store a use-case-specific time, such as an appointment, calendar schedule events, or product purchased time.

In summary, timestamps are best suited for capturing precise moments in time, while Datetime is more appropriate for representing longer time periods or events that span multiple days or weeks.

The choice between Timestamp and DateTime depends on the specific requirements of the application and the types of queries that will be performed on the data.