createdtime

CreatedTime is a timestamp that records the moment an entity was created. It is a common metadata field in files, databases, APIs, and digital records, used for auditing, ordering, and historical analysis. The exact meaning of CreatedTime can vary by context: for a file or directory it generally means the moment it was first written to the storage medium; for a database row it denotes insertion time; for software objects it can reflect instantiation time.

Representations of CreatedTime vary by platform. Unix-like systems historically did not consistently store creation times, instead providing last modification or access times; newer file systems offer birth time or crtime. Windows stores creation time as part of the file's metadata (for example via FILETIME or the CreationTime property). Timestamps are often encoded as epoch seconds or milliseconds, or as ISO-8601 strings, and may include or ignore time zone information.

Limitations include inconsistent availability across systems, clock changes, and copy or backup operations that preserve or reset creation timestamps differently. Time zone interpretation can also affect human readability unless normalized to UTC or a local zone.

Common uses include sorting items by age, enforcing retention policies, auditing actions, and rebuilding histories in backups or synchronizations.

Related concepts include ModifiedTime (or last write time) and AccessTime, as well as birth time or crtime on Unix-like systems. Some APIs distinguish between creation and modification times and provide separate fields for each.