Quick Answer
DATETIME: stores date and time without timezone, range 1000-9999. Unchanged on retrieval. TIMESTAMP: stores as UTC internally, converts to server timezone on retrieval. Range: 1970-2038 (32-bit Unix timestamp). TIMESTAMP auto-updates on INSERT/UPDATE if defined with DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP. Use TIMESTAMP for "last modified" tracking, DATETIME for future dates or timezone-neutral storage.
Answer
DATETIME stores exact values independent of timezone; TIMESTAMP converts values based on timezone and supports auto-update.
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SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.