Timestamping (computing)

In computing, timestamping refers to the use of an electronic timestamp to provide a temporal order among a set of events.

Timestamping techniques are used in a variety of computing fields, from network management and computer security to concurrency control.Advances in Computer Science and Information Technology by Tai-hoon Kim, Hojjat Adeli 2010 {{ISBN|3642135765}} page 183Computer aided verification: 13th International conference, by Gérard Berry, Hubert Comon, A. Finkel 2001 {{ISBN|3540423451}} page 423 For instance, a heartbeat network uses timestamping to monitor the nodes on a high availability computer cluster.Theoretical Aspects of Distributed Computing in Sensor Networks by Sotiris Nikoletseas and José D.P. Rolim 2011 {{ISBN|3642148484}} page 304

Timestamping computer files (updating the timestamp in the per-file metadata every time a file is modified) makes it possible to use efficient build automation tools.