Unix Timestamp Converter

Convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates. Support for seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, and nanoseconds.

Current Time
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2025-08-20 11:44:56
2025-08-20 12:44:56
Timestamp to Date
Enter a Unix timestamp to convert it to a human-readable date
Date to Timestamp
Enter a date and time to convert it to Unix timestamps
About Unix Timestamps

What is a Unix Timestamp?

A Unix timestamp (also known as Epoch time) is the number of time units that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC. It's a universal time representation used in computing systems worldwide.

Common Units

  • Seconds: Standard Unix timestamp (10 digits)
  • Milliseconds: JavaScript/Java standard (13 digits)
  • Microseconds: Python/PHP precision (16 digits)
  • Nanoseconds: Maximum precision (19 digits)

Master Unix Timestamps: The Developer's Complete Guide

Unix timestamps are the backbone of time representation in modern computing. Whether you're building APIs, analyzing logs, or synchronizing distributed systems, understanding Unix timestamps is essential. Our converter supports all common formats - from seconds to nanoseconds - and handles timezone conversions seamlessly.

Real-World Applications

🗄️
Database Storage
Store dates efficiently as integers, enabling fast sorting, indexing, and range queries without timezone complexity.
🔌
API Development
Exchange dates between systems consistently using a universal format that all programming languages understand.
📊
Log Analysis
Sort and filter log entries precisely by timestamp, calculate time differences, and correlate events across systems.
Caching Systems
Set expiration times, calculate TTL (time-to-live), and manage cache invalidation with simple numeric comparisons.
📡
IoT Devices
Synchronize time across distributed sensors and devices without worrying about timezone configurations.
🔗
Blockchain
Record immutable timestamps for transactions, blocks, and smart contract execution with precision.
📈
Analytics
Track user sessions, calculate durations, and analyze time-series data with consistent timestamp formats.
📅
Scheduling
Schedule cron jobs, recurring tasks, and calendar events using reliable numeric time representations.

How to Convert Timestamps

1

Choose Your Direction

Convert from Unix timestamp to human-readable date or from date to timestamp. Both conversions support multiple units and timezones.

2

Select Unit & Timezone

Choose between seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, or nanoseconds. Select your timezone from major cities worldwide or use UTC for universal time.

3

Get Instant Results

View your converted timestamp or date instantly. Copy results with one click for use in your code, database queries, or documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Unix Timestamp?

A Unix timestamp (also known as Epoch time, POSIX time, or Unix time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). This date is known as the Unix Epoch. It's a universal time representation used across different programming languages, databases, and systems worldwide, making it ideal for storing and comparing dates across different time zones.

Why use Unix Timestamps?
What are the different timestamp units?
How do Unix Timestamps handle timezones?
What is the Year 2038 problem?
Can Unix Timestamps be negative?
How accurate are timestamp conversions?
How do Unix Timestamps handle leap seconds?

Unix Timestamps in Popular Languages

🟨 JavaScript / TypeScript

// Get current timestamp (milliseconds)
const timestamp = Date.now();
const timestamp2 = new Date().getTime();

// Convert to seconds
const seconds = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);

// Parse timestamp
const date = new Date(1234567890000);

🐍 Python

import time
from datetime import datetime

# Get current timestamp (seconds)
timestamp = time.time()

# Convert to milliseconds
ms = int(time.time() * 1000)

# Parse timestamp
date = datetime.fromtimestamp(1234567890)

☕ Java

// Get current timestamp (milliseconds)
long timestamp = System.currentTimeMillis();

// Convert to seconds
long seconds = timestamp / 1000;

// Parse timestamp
Date date = new Date(1234567890000L);
Instant instant = Instant.ofEpochMilli(timestamp);

🐘 PHP

// Get current timestamp (seconds)
$timestamp = time();

// Get microseconds
$microtime = microtime(true);

// Parse timestamp
$date = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', 1234567890);
$dt = new DateTime('@1234567890');

Common Timestamp Conversions

Notable Timestamps

  • 0 - Unix Epoch: January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC
  • 1000000000 - September 9, 2001, 01:46:40 UTC (Unix billennium)
  • 2147483647 - January 19, 2038, 03:14:07 UTC (32-bit limit)
  • 2000000000 - May 18, 2033, 03:33:20 UTC
  • -1 - December 31, 1969, 23:59:59 UTC

Quick Reference

Time Unit Conversions

  • 1 second = 1,000 milliseconds
  • 1 second = 1,000,000 microseconds
  • 1 second = 1,000,000,000 nanoseconds
  • 1 day = 86,400 seconds
  • 1 week = 604,800 seconds
  • 1 year ≈ 31,536,000 seconds

Format Recognition

  • 10 digits → Seconds (until year 2286)
  • 13 digits → Milliseconds (until year 2286)
  • 16 digits → Microseconds
  • 19 digits → Nanoseconds
  • Negative → Before 1970

Best Practices for Working with Timestamps

Storage & Databases

Store timestamps as BIGINT in databases to avoid the 2038 problem. Always store in UTC and convert to local time only for display. Index timestamp columns for efficient range queries. Consider using database-native timestamp types when available.

API Design

Use ISO 8601 format for human-readable dates in JSON responses. Include both timestamp and formatted date when possible. Document the unit (seconds vs milliseconds) clearly. Accept multiple formats in requests but standardize the response format.

Timezone Handling

Never rely on server timezone - always specify explicitly. Store user preferences for timezone display. Use timezone-aware libraries (moment-timezone, pytz). Test with different timezones, especially around DST transitions.

Testing & Validation

Test edge cases like leap years, DST transitions, and timezone boundaries. Validate timestamp ranges to prevent invalid dates. Consider time synchronization in distributed systems. Mock time in tests rather than using system time.

Industry Applications

Finance & Trading
  • • High-frequency trading timestamps
  • • Transaction ordering
  • • Audit trail timestamps
  • • Market data synchronization
  • • Settlement date calculations
DevOps & Monitoring
  • • Log aggregation and correlation
  • • Metrics and time-series data
  • • Incident timeline reconstruction
  • • Performance benchmarking
  • • Uptime calculations
Gaming & Entertainment
  • • Player session tracking
  • • Event scheduling
  • • Leaderboard timestamps
  • • Content release timing
  • • Achievement unlocks
E-commerce
  • • Order timestamps
  • • Flash sale timing
  • • Shopping cart expiration
  • • Delivery tracking
  • • Customer analytics
Healthcare
  • • Patient record timestamps
  • • Medication schedules
  • • Appointment booking
  • • Lab result timing
  • • Vital sign monitoring
IoT & Sensors
  • • Sensor data timestamps
  • • Device synchronization
  • • Event sequencing
  • • Data aggregation windows
  • • Predictive maintenance

Technical Specifications

Precision & Range

  • 32-bit signed: ±68 years from epoch (1901-2038)
  • 32-bit unsigned: 136 years from epoch (1970-2106)
  • 64-bit signed: ±292 billion years from epoch
  • Double precision float: Millisecond precision for ±285 years

Standards & Specifications

Unix time is defined by POSIX.1-2017 and ISO/IEC 9945. It counts seconds since the Unix Epoch, excluding leap seconds. TAI (International Atomic Time) provides an alternative that includes leap seconds for scientific applications.

Performance Considerations

Integer timestamps are faster to compare and sort than string dates. They require less storage space (8 bytes vs 19+ for ISO strings). Timestamp arithmetic is simple integer math. No parsing overhead when reading from databases.

Start Converting Timestamps Now

Whether you're debugging code, analyzing logs, or building APIs, our Unix Timestamp Converter provides instant, accurate conversions with timezone support. Free to use, no registration required.