What Is TIMESTAMP Data Type in MySQL?

A TIMESTAMP data type allows you to record a date and time like DATETIME data type. But it has some interesting features when used on a table column:

• The first TIMESTAMP column in a table will be assigned with the current date and time, if it is not listed in an INSERT statement.
• The first TIMESTAMP column in a table will be assigned with the current date and time, if it is not listed in an UPDATE statement.
• If a TIMESTAMP column is assigned with NULL, the current date and time will be persisted to this column.
• You can turn off the default current date and time on INSERT by defining the column with "DEFAULT 0".

The tutorial exercise below provides you 2 equivalent ways to create a TIMESTAMP column:

CREATE TABLE links (lastDate TIMESTAMP);

CREATE TABLE links (lastDate TIMESTAMP 
   DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
   ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);

⇒ Ways to Get the Current Time in MySQL

⇐ Date and Time Functions in MySQL

⇑ Introduction to Date and Time Handling in MySQL

⇑⇑ MySQL Database Tutorials