Three commonly used types of file times in Linux systems!

Under Windows, a file has: creation time, modification time, and access time. So what are the types of file times in Linux? Under Linux, a file also has three times. They are: access time, modification time, and status time. Let’s explain them in detail next.

In the Linux operating system, each file contains three different types of timestamps, namely access time (atime), modification time (mtime) and change time (ctime). These three timestamps record file changes under different operations. The access time refers to the last time the file was accessed or read, the modification time indicates the last time the file content was modified, and the change time records the last time the file metadata was modified. Through these timestamps, users can understand the file's access history, content changes, and metadata modification time points, which helps track the status and changes of the file.

　1. Access time

The access time refers to the time when the file was last accessed. Atime is updated when the file is viewed, read, or executed. atime records the time the file was accessed, but does not change the file's content or attributes. Generally speaking, updating atime will bring about a decrease in system performance, so sometimes you choose to turn off this function.

　2. Modification time

The modification time is the time when the content of the recorded file was last changed. When a file is edited, written, or modified, the modification time is updated. Updates to the modification time reflect changes to the file's contents and may affect the file's attributes. Therefore, we often use modification time to determine whether a file has been modified.

　3. Change time

Change time refers to the time when the file status was last changed. ctime is updated when a file's permissions, owner, or number of links change. At the same time, ctime is also updated when files are created or deleted. Therefore, ctime records changes in file status, not just changes in file content.

The above is the detailed content of Three commonly used types of file times in Linux systems!. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!