Python Program to Get File Creation and Modification Date

Example 1: Using os module

import os.path, time

file = pathlib.Path('abc.py')
print("Last modification time: %s" % time.ctime(os.path.getmtime(file)))
print("Last metadata change time or path creation time: %s" % time.ctime(os.path.getctime(file)))

Output

Last modification time: Mon Apr 12 10:43:24 2020
Last metadata change time or path creation time: Mon Apr 12 10:43:24 2020

getmtime() gives the last modification time whereas getctime() gives the last metadata change time in Linux/Unix and path creation time in Windows.

Example 2: Using stat() method

import datetime
import pathlib

fname = pathlib.Path('abc.py')
print("Last modification time: %s" % datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(fname.stat().st_mtime))
print("Last metadata change time or path creation time: %s" % datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(fname.stat().st_ctime))

Output

Last modification time: 2021-04-12 10:43:24.234189
Last metadata change time or path creation time: 2021-04-12 10:43:24.234189

Similar to Example 1, st_mtime refers to the time of last modification; whereas, st_ctime refers to the time of the last metadata change on Linux/Unix and creation time on Windows.