UtilitiesAlso called: "time zone conversion", "timezone calculator"
Timezone conversion is essential for global coordination and scheduling.
Key concepts
- UTC: Coordinated Universal Time (reference timezone).
- Offset: Hours/minutes ahead (+) or behind (-) UTC.
- DST: Daylight Saving Time (seasonal offset changes).
- IANA database: Canonical timezone names (America/New_York).
Common challenges
- Daylight saving transitions vary by region and year.
- Some regions don't observe DST.
- Historical timezone data changes.
- Political boundaries change timezone definitions.
Best practices
- Always store times in UTC in databases.
- Convert to local timezone only for display.
- Use IANA timezone names, not abbreviations (EST vs America/New_York).
- Account for DST transitions in scheduling.
- Test edge cases (DST transitions, leap seconds).