Reference: Timestamp Type

Timestamps combine the date and time types to a single column in microsecond resolution. Timestamps optionally support time zones, either by specifying with time zone or by using the timestamptz alias.

Usage Example

create table example (
    raw timestamp,
    local timestamptz -- equivalent to timestamp with time zone
);
insert into example
    values (timestamp '2024-05-24 11:42:36.470585', timestamptz '2024-05-24 01:42:36.470585 PST'),
           (now()::timestamp, now());
select raw, local from example;

            raw             |             local             
----------------------------+-------------------------------
 2024-05-24 11:42:36.470585 | 2024-05-24 11:42:36.470585+02 
 2024-05-24 11:43:29.870372 | 2024-05-24 11:43:29.870372+02
(2 rows)

Working with Time Zones

Timestamps with time zones are printed in local time, not the time zone they were initially entered in, as demonstrated in the usage example above: 1:42 AM PST is equivalent to 11:42 in Munich, where the client (and CedarDB’s headquarters) is located.

Your client usually sets the local time zone when connecting to the database, and if it does not, CedarDB defaults to the local time zone configured for the database system.

When working with fixed time zones, we recommend setting the time zone explicitly for your database session:

set timezone to 'US/Pacific';

Alternatively, when you multiplex different user sessions in one database session, working in UTC time in your backend can eliminate this dependency on implicit state:

set timezone to 'UTC';

When the time of day is not relevant for your use case, e.g., when dealing with birthdates for age verification, consider using the date type instead.