Unix Epoch Converter

About Unix Timestamps

Ever seen a number like 1696118400 and wondered what date that actually is? That's a Unix timestamp, also called epoch time. It's just the number of seconds that have passed since January 1, 1970, at midnight UTC. Simple concept, but it's everywhere in computing and programming, and you'll need to convert these numbers to actual dates constantly.

The Unix epoch (that starting point in 1970) was chosen pretty much arbitrarily—it's when Unix timekeeping started. Before that date, timestamps are negative numbers. After 1970, they're positive. It doesn't matter why 1970 was picked, just that it's the standard now. Almost every computer system uses this as a reference point for tracking time.

Why use numbers instead of dates? For one thing, it's easier for computers. Storing "1696118400" takes less space and is faster to process than "2023-10-01 12:00:00". Math is simpler too—adding 86400 (one day in seconds) to a timestamp is easy, but adding a day to a date string requires dealing with months, leap years, and all that complexity. Comparing timestamps is just comparing numbers, while comparing date strings requires parsing them first.

Programming uses Unix timestamps everywhere. When you save a record to a database, it often gets a timestamp field. When APIs return data, they frequently include timestamps. Log files use timestamps to record when events happened. If you're debugging code and see a timestamp in a database or log file, you'll need to convert it to understand when something actually occurred.

There are two main formats you'll encounter. Seconds format is the classic Unix timestamp—just the number of seconds since 1970. That 1696118400 we mentioned? That's October 1, 2023. Milliseconds format adds three zeros to the end, representing milliseconds instead of seconds. JavaScript uses milliseconds, so that same date would be 1696118400000. The conversion is just multiplying or dividing by 1000, but it's easy to mix them up and get the wrong date.

Debugging is probably where you'll use this converter most. Something breaks in your code, you check the logs, and you see error timestamps like 1696118400. What day was that? Converting helps you figure out when the issue happened. Database records have timestamps—converting helps you understand when data was created or modified. API responses include timestamps—converting helps you know when data was fetched or updated.

Database work involves timestamps constantly. When you're querying data, you might filter by date ranges. Converting timestamps helps you figure out what numbers to use in your queries. When you're analyzing data, timestamps help you see patterns over time. Converting them to readable dates makes the data make sense.

Log analysis requires timestamp conversion all the time. Server logs, application logs, system logs—they all use timestamps. When you're investigating an issue, you need to know when events happened. Converting timestamps to actual dates and times helps you piece together what happened and in what order. One event at 1696118400 and another at 1696122000—that's 1 hour apart, but you need to convert to see that clearly.

API development and testing involves timestamps too. APIs often require timestamps as parameters or return them in responses. When you're testing an API, you might need to convert between human-readable dates and timestamps. Converting helps you construct proper API requests or understand API responses.

System administration uses timestamps for scheduling and monitoring. Cron jobs run at specific times, and you might need to convert timestamps to figure out when jobs ran or should run. System backups are timestamped. Monitoring systems record events with timestamps. Converting helps you understand system activity and troubleshoot issues.

There's a famous problem coming up—the Year 2038 problem. Unix timestamps in seconds are often stored as 32-bit signed integers, which can only go up to January 19, 2038, before they overflow. After that, they'll wrap around to 1901. Most modern systems use 64-bit integers now, which will last billions of years, but older systems or code might still have this issue. Converting timestamps helps you verify dates aren't affected by this.

Time zones are important when working with timestamps. Unix timestamps are always in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), but when you convert them to dates, you might want your local time zone. A timestamp like 1696118400 is the same moment everywhere, but it represents different local times depending on where you are. Converting helps you see what time it was in your time zone or any other time zone.

This converter handles both seconds and milliseconds formats. Paste in a timestamp, get a human-readable date. Or enter a date, get the timestamp. It's instant and accurate, saving you from doing the math manually or looking up conversion tables. Whether you're debugging, analyzing logs, or working with APIs, this tool makes timestamp conversion easy.

Common Formats

Seconds Format

• Standard Unix timestamp
• Number of seconds since epoch
• Example: 1625097600 = 2021-07-01 00:00:00 UTC

Milliseconds Format

• Common in JavaScript and modern systems
• Number of milliseconds since epoch
• Example: 1625097600000 = 2021-07-01 00:00:00 UTC

Common Uses

Programming

• Database timestamps
• API responses
• Log files
• Event scheduling

System Administration

• Log analysis
• System synchronization
• Cron jobs
• Backup timestamps

Tips for Working with Timestamps

1. Be aware of timezone differences
2. Consider milliseconds vs seconds
3. Watch for integer overflow
4. Remember leap seconds aren't counted
5. Use appropriate precision for your needs

Notes

• The Unix epoch begins at 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970
• Negative timestamps represent dates before 1970
• Most systems use signed 32-bit integers, which will overflow in 2038
• Modern systems often use 64-bit integers to avoid the 2038 problem