Timestamp Converter

What is a Unix Timestamp?

A Unix timestamp is an integer representing the number of seconds elapsed since the Unix epoch — January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It is also commonly called epoch time or POSIX time. Because it is timezone-agnostic, Unix timestamps are the universal currency of time in computing: databases store them, APIs return them, and log files record them.

How to Use This Tool

• Timestamp to date: Enter a Unix timestamp (seconds or milliseconds) and the tool instantly shows the ISO 8601, UTC, local, and relative representations.
• Date to timestamp: Type any human-readable date string (e.g. 2024-03-29T00:00:00Z or March 29 2024) to get the Unix timestamp in both seconds and milliseconds.
• Now: Click the "Now" button to load the current timestamp.
• s / ms toggle: Switch between seconds (10-digit) and milliseconds (13-digit) input.

Output Formats Explained

• ISO 8601 — The international standard format: 2024-03-29T00:00:00.000Z. Used in APIs, JSON payloads, and HTML datetime attributes.
• UTC — The long-form UTC date string: Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT. Used in HTTP headers (Date, Last-Modified).
• Local — The timestamp converted to your browser's local timezone.
• Relative — A human-friendly relative description: "2 hours ago", "in 3 days".

Unix Time in Programming

Every major language has built-in support for Unix timestamps.

• JavaScript: Date.now() returns milliseconds; Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) gives seconds. Convert back with new Date(ts * 1000).
• Python: import time; time.time() returns a float in seconds. Use datetime.fromtimestamp(ts) to convert.
• SQL: UNIX_TIMESTAMP() in MySQL, EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW()) in PostgreSQL.

Related Guides

• Unix Timestamps & Epoch Time Guide — everything about epoch time, Y2038, and timezone pitfalls
• Epoch to Date Conversion in 6 Languages — code snippets for JS, Python, Go, Java, PHP, and Rust
• Cron Syntax: Fields, Examples & Tips — schedule tasks using Unix time