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Unix Timestamp Converter

Convert Unix timestamps to human-readable dates and vice versa. View results in UTC, local time, and ISO 8601 formats. Essential for debugging logs, working with APIs, and managing time-based data. All processing happens locally in your browser.

Current Unix Timestamp

The current Unix timestamp updates in real time.

Timestamp to Date

Enter a Unix timestamp (seconds or milliseconds) to convert it to a human-readable date.

Date to Timestamp

Select a date and time to convert to a Unix timestamp.

How It Works

A Unix timestamp represents time as a single number — the count of seconds elapsed since the Unix epoch (January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC). This simple representation makes it easy to store, compare, and calculate time differences across systems and programming languages.

This tool converts between timestamps and human-readable dates using your browser's built-in Date object. It automatically detects whether your input is in seconds (10 digits) or milliseconds (13 digits) and displays results in UTC, your local timezone, and ISO 8601 format.

Common Use Cases

  • Debugging server logs: Convert timestamps in log files to readable dates to trace events and errors.
  • API development: Many REST APIs return timestamps as Unix epoch values that need human-readable conversion.
  • Database queries: Convert dates when working with databases that store time as integer timestamps.
  • JWT expiration: Check when authentication tokens expire by converting the exp claim value.
  • Cron job scheduling: Verify scheduled task timing by converting between timestamps and calendar dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Unix timestamp?

A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time or POSIX time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC, not counting leap seconds. It is widely used in programming and databases to represent points in time.

What is the Year 2038 problem?

The Year 2038 problem occurs because many systems store Unix timestamps as 32-bit signed integers, which can only represent dates up to January 19, 2038. After that, the value overflows. Modern systems use 64-bit integers to avoid this issue.

What is the difference between seconds and milliseconds timestamps?

Unix timestamps in seconds are 10 digits long (e.g., 1700000000), while millisecond timestamps are 13 digits (e.g., 1700000000000). JavaScript's Date.now() returns milliseconds, while most Unix systems use seconds.

How does UTC differ from local time?

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the global time standard with no timezone offset. Local time is adjusted for your timezone and may include daylight saving time. Unix timestamps are always based on UTC.

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