Java Date.getTime() is a method in the Java Date class that returns the number of milliseconds since the epoch (January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 GMT). It is commonly used for timestamp calculations and comparisons. Introduced in Java 1995 with Java 1.0, getTime() is essential for handling time-based data in milliseconds for scheduling and logging purposes.

https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Date.html