Epoch & Unix Timestamp Converter
Convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates in multiple formats.
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Understanding Unix Timestamp & Epoch Time
Unix timestamp (or Epoch time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC (the Unix epoch). This standardized time format is widely used in computing, databases, and programming to represent dates and times as a single number.
| Unit Type | Unit Name | Value in Seconds since Unix Epoch |
|---|---|---|
| Key Date | Unix Epoch Start | January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC |
| Key Date | Timestamp 0 | 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC |
| Key Date | Y2K | 946684800 (January 1, 2000) |
| Key Date | Year 2038 Problem | 2147483647 (January 19, 2038) |
| Format | Seconds | Standard Unix timestamp (10 digits) |
| Format | Milliseconds | Timestamp × 1000 (13 digits) |
| Format | Microseconds | Timestamp × 1,000,000 (16 digits) |
| Format | Nanoseconds | Timestamp × 1,000,000,000 (19 digits) |
| Time Unit | Second | 1 second = 1 timestamp unit |
| Time Unit | Minute | 60 seconds = 60 timestamp |
| Time Unit | Hour | 3,600 seconds |
| Time Unit | Day | 86,400 seconds |
| Time Unit | Week | 604,800 seconds |
| Time Unit | Month (30 days) | 2,592,000 seconds |
| Time Unit | Year (365 days) | 31,536,000 seconds |
| Common Use | Databases | Store dates as integers |
| Common Use | APIs | Standardized time exchange |
| Common Use | Programming | Language-independent time format |
| Common Use | Log Files | Timestamp events accurately |
| Advantages | Universal | Same across all time zones |
| Advantages | Sortable | Easy to compare and sort |
| Advantages | Compact | Single number vs multiple fields |
| Technical | Signed 32-bit | Range: -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 |
| Technical | Max Date (32-bit) | January 19, 2038, 03:14:07 UTC |
| Technical | 64-bit Solution | Extends range to year 292 billion+ |
Conversion Tip
Unix timestamp counts seconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC (the Unix Epoch). This universal time standard is independent of time zones and is used across all programming languages, databases, and APIs for consistent date/time representation and storage.
Quick Reference
- Unix Epoch = January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC (Timestamp: 0)
- 1 second = 1 Unix timestamp unit
- 1 minute = 60 seconds
- 1 hour = 3,600 seconds
- 1 day = 86,400 seconds
- 1 week = 604,800 seconds
- 1 year (365 days) = 31,536,000 seconds
- Milliseconds = Seconds × 1,000 (13 digits)
- Microseconds = Seconds × 1,000,000 (16 digits)
- Nanoseconds = Seconds × 1,000,000,000 (19 digits)
- Y2K timestamp = 946,684,800 (January 1, 2000)
- Year 2038 problem = 2,147,483,647 (32-bit limit)
- 64-bit timestamps support dates until year 292 billion
- Current timestamp = Floor(Date.now() / 1000)
- ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ
- UTC = Coordinated Universal Time (no daylight saving)
- Used in MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis databases
- JavaScript uses milliseconds, Unix uses seconds
- Negative timestamps = Dates before January 1, 1970
- Leap seconds are NOT counted in Unix time
- Used for session tokens, cache expiration, logs
- Converting: new Date(timestamp * 1000) in JavaScript
- PHP: time() returns current Unix timestamp
- Python: time.time() returns current timestamp
- Always store in UTC, convert to local for display
Epoch Converter Guide
Convert Unix timestamps to readable dates and convert dates back into epoch time. This is useful for programming, logs, APIs, databases, and troubleshooting time-based records.
Seconds and milliseconds
Unix time is commonly stored in seconds, while many JavaScript and API values use milliseconds. Check the selected unit before converting, especially when the result appears far in the past or future.
Time zone checks
Epoch time represents an instant, but a displayed date depends on the selected time zone. Confirm the time zone and daylight-saving rules when comparing logs from different systems.