Just like Java's Instant and LocalDateTime, server-side TIMESTAMP and DATETIME fields serve distinct purposes. One represents a specific cut-off date (a moment), while the opposite doesn't. MariaDB Connector/J releases older than 1.2.zero may be suitable with server versions older than MariaDB 5.5 and MySQL 5.5, however these MariaDB Connector/J releases aren't supported anymore. MariaDB Connect