Unix Timestamp Converter
Convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates with timezone support
Enter a timestamp or pick a date to convert. Use the timezone menu to view results in your region.
Key Features
- Bidirectional Conversion – Convert timestamps to dates and vice versa
- Multiple Formats – Support for seconds and milliseconds timestamps
- Timezone Support – Convert between different timezones
- Current Timestamp – Get current Unix timestamp instantly
- Batch Conversion – Convert multiple timestamps at once
- Custom Date Formats – Display dates in various formats
- Relative Time – Show time ago (e.g., “2 hours ago”)
- Copy to Clipboard – One-click copy of results
- Browser-Based – All processing done locally
- Fast & Accurate – Instant conversion with millisecond precision
Understanding Unix Timestamps
Unix timestamps represent time as the number of seconds (or milliseconds) that have elapsed since the Unix epoch: January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. This format is widely used in programming and databases.
Unix Epoch
Start Date: January 1, 1970
Time: 00:00:00 UTC
Timestamp: 0
All Unix timestamps count from this moment. Negative timestamps represent dates before the epoch.
Seconds vs Milliseconds
Seconds: 10-digit number (1609459200)
Milliseconds: 13-digit number (1609459200000)
JavaScript uses milliseconds, while most Unix systems use seconds. Know which format your system requires.
Y2K38 Problem
Date: January 19, 2038
Issue: 32-bit signed integer overflow
Timestamp: 2147483647
32-bit systems will overflow at this timestamp. Modern 64-bit systems are not affected.
Common Use Cases
API Development
Debug API responses containing timestamps, verify date/time values in requests, and test timestamp-based filtering.
Database Queries
Convert human-readable dates to timestamps for database queries, interpret timestamp columns, and filter records by date ranges.
Log File Analysis
Decode timestamps in server logs, correlate events across systems, and investigate issues by converting log timestamps to readable dates.
System Administration
Schedule cron jobs, verify file modification times, troubleshoot time-based system events, and audit system logs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Unix timestamp?
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds (or milliseconds) that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC (the Unix epoch). It’s a standard way to represent time in computing systems.
How do I know if a timestamp is in seconds or milliseconds?
Count the digits: 10 digits = seconds (e.g., 1609459200), 13 digits = milliseconds (e.g., 1609459200000). JavaScript uses milliseconds, while most Unix systems and databases use seconds.
Do Unix timestamps account for timezones?
Unix timestamps are always in UTC and represent an absolute moment in time. Timezones are only applied when converting to human-readable dates. The timestamp itself is timezone-independent.
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