About Unix Timestamp Converter
A Unix timestamp (also known as Epoch time or POSIX time) is a system for describing points in time. It's defined as the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970 (the Unix epoch), not counting leap seconds. Our Timestamp Converter makes it easy to convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates across different timezones.
Features
- Real-time current timestamp display (updates every second)
- Convert Unix timestamp to human-readable date
- Convert date and time to Unix timestamp
- Support for 13 major timezones worldwide
- Multiple date format outputs (ISO 8601, RFC 2822, US, EU, etc.)
- Relative time display (e.g., "2 hours ago")
- Milliseconds timestamp for JavaScript
- Copy any format to clipboard
- Responsive design for all devices
- Dark mode support
- Multilingual interface
How to Use
- View the current Unix timestamp at the top (updates in real-time)
- Enter a Unix timestamp to convert it to a readable date
- Or select a date and time to convert it to a Unix timestamp
- Choose your preferred timezone from the dropdown
- View the result in multiple formats
- Click the copy button next to any format to copy it to clipboard
- Use "Now" button to set the timestamp to current time
- Use "Clear" to reset all fields
What is Unix Timestamp?
Unix timestamp is a way of tracking time as a running total of seconds. It starts counting from the Unix Epoch (January 1st, 1970 at UTC). This means that the Unix timestamp is the number of seconds between a particular date and the Unix Epoch.
For example:
- 0 = January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC
- 1000000000 = September 9, 2001 01:46:40 UTC
- 1500000000 = July 14, 2017 02:40:00 UTC
- 2000000000 = May 18, 2033 03:33:20 UTC
Why Use Unix Timestamps?
- Universal: Works across all timezones and locales
- Simple: Just a single number, easy to store and compare
- Efficient: Takes less space than formatted date strings
- Sortable: Natural chronological ordering
- Math-friendly: Easy to calculate time differences
- Database-friendly: Efficient indexing and querying
Common Use Cases
- API Development: Timestamps in API responses and requests
- Database Records: Storing creation and modification times
- Log Files: Timestamping events and errors
- Caching: Setting expiration times
- Authentication: Token expiration and session management
- Scheduling: Cron jobs and task scheduling
- Analytics: Tracking user events and behavior
- File Systems: File creation and modification times
Seconds vs Milliseconds
There are two common formats for timestamps:
- Seconds (Unix Timestamp): Used by Unix/Linux systems, PHP, Python, etc. Example: 1609459200
- Milliseconds: Used by JavaScript, Java, etc. Example: 1609459200000
To convert between them: multiply seconds by 1000 to get milliseconds, or divide milliseconds by 1000 to get seconds.
Programming Examples
JavaScript:
// Get current timestamp in seconds
Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)
// Convert timestamp to date
new Date(timestamp * 1000)Python:
import time
import Breadcrumb from "@/components/Breadcrumb"; # Get current timestamp
int(time.time())
# Convert timestamp to date
from datetime import datetime
datetime.fromtimestamp(timestamp)PHP:
// Get current timestamp
time()
// Convert timestamp to date
date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $timestamp)Date Format Standards
- ISO 8601: International standard (2024-01-15T10:30:00Z)
- RFC 2822: Internet message format (Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:30:00 GMT)
- US Format: MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS
- EU Format: DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM:SS
Timezone Considerations
Unix timestamps are always in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). When converting to a human-readable date, you need to specify the timezone. Our tool supports major timezones including:
- UTC (Universal)
- US Timezones (EST, CST, MST, PST)
- European Timezones (GMT, CET, MSK)
- Asian Timezones (IST, CST, JST)
- Australian Timezones (AEDT/AEST)
The Year 2038 Problem
On January 19, 2038, at 03:14:07 UTC, 32-bit systems will experience an overflow issue (similar to Y2K). The timestamp will exceed the maximum value that can be stored in a signed 32-bit integer (2,147,483,647). Modern 64-bit systems are not affected by this limitation.
Best Practices
- Always store timestamps in UTC in your database
- Convert to local timezone only for display purposes
- Use 64-bit integers for timestamps to avoid the 2038 problem
- Be consistent with seconds vs milliseconds across your application
- Include timezone information when displaying dates to users
- Use ISO 8601 format for data exchange between systems
- Consider using libraries like moment.js or date-fns for complex date operations
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Unix Epoch?
The Unix Epoch is January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. It's the starting point for Unix timestamps.
Can Unix timestamps be negative?
Yes! Negative timestamps represent dates before January 1, 1970.
How do I convert milliseconds to seconds?
Divide by 1000. For example: 1609459200000 / 1000 = 1609459200
Are Unix timestamps timezone-independent?
Yes! Unix timestamps are always in UTC. Timezone conversion happens when displaying the date.
What's the maximum Unix timestamp?
For 32-bit systems: 2,147,483,647 (Jan 19, 2038). For 64-bit systems: practically unlimited.