Mastering Time in Software: When to Use UTC, Epoch, and Local Time

Handling time across global applications is one of software development's most overlooked challenges. This guide explains the fundamental principle that drives enterprise systems worldwide: store time data in UTC and display it in the user's local timezone, avoiding complexity from daylight saving time and geographic differences. Understanding when to use Unix Timestamps, UTC offsets, and local time representations is essential for preventing data integrity issues in production systems.