Unix Timestamp Converter
Convert between Unix epoch timestamps and human-readable dates.
Unix Timestamp to Date
Date to Unix Timestamp
What is Unix time?
Unix time (also called epoch time or POSIX time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 UTC. It is used across virtually every operating system, programming language, and database as a universal way to represent a point in time.
Developers rely on Unix timestamps because they are timezone-independent, trivially sortable, and make it easy to compare dates or calculate durations with simple arithmetic. A single integer is far simpler to store and transmit than a formatted date string that requires a timezone qualifier.
Two common gotchas to keep in mind. First, some languages and APIs return timestamps in milliseconds (13 digits) rather than seconds (10 digits) — this converter auto-detects the format. Second, systems that store timestamps as signed 32-bit integers will overflow on January 19, 2038 — the so-called Year 2038 problem — so modern applications should use 64-bit storage.
Using timestamps to schedule delayed jobs? Try Recuro — it handles execution, retries, and logging for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Unix timestamp?
A Unix timestamp (or epoch time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 UTC, also known as the Unix epoch. It provides a timezone-independent way to represent a specific moment in time as a single integer. Most programming languages and databases support Unix timestamps natively.
What is the difference between seconds and milliseconds timestamps?
Standard Unix timestamps are in seconds and contain 10 digits (e.g. 1709750400). Millisecond timestamps contain 13 digits (e.g. 1709750400000) and are commonly used in JavaScript, Java, and some APIs. This tool auto-detects the format based on the number of digits so you do not need to convert manually.
What is the Year 2038 problem?
Systems that store Unix time as a signed 32-bit integer can only represent dates up to January 19, 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC. After that, the value overflows and wraps to a negative number, which would be interpreted as a date in December 1901. Modern 64-bit systems are not affected, but legacy embedded systems, databases, and file formats that use 32-bit timestamps may need to be updated before 2038.
How do I get the current Unix timestamp in my code?
Here are examples in several common languages: JavaScript: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000). Python: import time; int(time.time()). PHP: time(). Ruby: Time.now.to_i. Go: time.Now().Unix().