Linux Millennium Bug

Countdown till the 32-bit clock overflow:
UTC 03:14:07 on January 19, 2038

A general explanation of the Year 2038 problem can be found on Wikipedia.

🧨 What Is the Linux Millennium Bug (Y2K38)?

The Year 2038 problem is like the Y2K bug’s younger sibling — but this time, it’s gunning for Linux systems that rely on 32-bit time storage.

Unix-based systems store time as the number of seconds since January 1, 1970 (UTC). On 32-bit systems, that number overflows at exactly 03:14:07 UTC on January 19, 2038.

This will happen simultaneously across the globe — whether you're in Tokyo, Brussels, or a desert datacenter, your affected system will hit the wall at that precise moment in Coordinated Universal Time.

🐧 Why Linux Is Especially Affected

🔍 How Do I Know If I'm Affected?

#include <stdio.h>
#include <time.h>

int main() {
    time_t t = 0x7FFFFFFF;
    printf("Time: %s", ctime(&t));
    return 0;
}

If this outputs a strange or broken time, you are running with 32-bit time_t and should upgrade or patch.

💡 Real-World Bugs

System Problem
MySQL (pre-5.6) Can't handle post-2038 dates on 32-bit systems, MySQL 5.6 was released in 2013
Android (pre-5.0) Apps crash with future calendar events
ext4 filesystems Need to be created with 
mkfs.ext4 -I 256
and Linux kernel above 5.10 is needed
xfs filesystems Filesystems created before 2014 will have to be reformatted. Linux kernel above 5.10 is needed. xfsprogs at least version 5.10
FAT filesystems Timestamps overflow beyond 2038
SQLite - most common used Embedded Linux lightweight database Integers are stored on 64 bits since SQLite 3.0, released in 2005

🧰 How to Fix It

  1. 💻 Upgrade to 64-bit systems where possible.
  2. 📦 Use 64-bit time-safe APIs like time64_t or timespec.
  3. 🛠️ Convert timestamp fields in databases to 64-bit integers.
  4. 🧪 Test date-sensitive code that spans long periods (e.g., 15-year backups).

🧠 Did You Know?

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