⏱ Free Epoch Converter

Unix Timestamp
Converter

Convert Unix epoch time to human-readable dates — and back. Supports seconds & milliseconds, all timezones, live clock, relative time, and code snippets in JavaScript, Python, SQL, Bash & Go. Free, instant, no signup.

Convert epoch time to readable dates. Instant, free, no login needed.

Current Unix Timestamp (Live)
📅 🌐
Timestamp → Date

Epoch to Human Date

Paste a Unix timestamp above ↑
Date → Timestamp

Human Date to Epoch

Pick a date & time above ↑
World Clocks

Same Moment, Every Timezone

UTC
Enter timestamp above

Convert in Code

// Timestamp → Date
const ts = 1700000000;
const date = new Date(ts * 1000);
console.log(date.toLocaleString()); // "Nov 14, 2023, 10:13:20 PM"

// Date → Timestamp
const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);

// Current timestamp (milliseconds)
const ms = Date.now(); // 13 digits
from datetime import datetime, timezone

# Timestamp → Date (UTC)
ts = 1700000000
dt = datetime.fromtimestamp(ts, tz=timezone.utc)
print(dt)  # 2023-11-14 22:13:20+00:00

# Date → Timestamp
now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
ts = int(now.timestamp())
-- MySQL / MariaDB
SELECT FROM_UNIXTIME(1700000000);
SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP('2023-11-14 22:13:20');

-- PostgreSQL
SELECT TO_TIMESTAMP(1700000000);
SELECT EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())::BIGINT;

-- SQLite
SELECT datetime(1700000000, 'unixepoch');
# Current Unix timestamp
date +%s

# Timestamp → Human (Linux)
date -d @1700000000

# Timestamp → Human (macOS)
date -r 1700000000

# Date → Timestamp (Linux)
date -d "2023-11-14 22:13:20" +%s
import "time"

// Timestamp → Time
ts := int64(1700000000)
t := time.Unix(ts, 0).UTC()
fmt.Println(t) // 2023-11-14 22:13:20 +0000 UTC

// Current Timestamp
now := time.Now().Unix()
Quick Reference

Notable Unix Timestamps

EventTimestampDate (UTC)

↑ Click any timestamp to load it in the converter

What is a Unix Timestamp? (Epoch Time Explained)

A Unix timestamp — also called epoch time, POSIX time, or Unix time — is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. This reference point is known as the Unix epoch.

For example, the Unix timestamp 1700000000 equals November 14, 2023 at 22:13:20 UTC. Because it counts absolute seconds (not local time), it is timezone-independent — the same integer means the same moment everywhere on Earth.

Timestamps are stored as a 10-digit integer in seconds (standard Unix) or a 13-digit integer in milliseconds (used by JavaScript's Date.now()). This converter auto-detects both formats.

Common use cases: database storage, REST API responses, JWT token expiry (exp claim), AWS Lambda scheduling, Firebase Firestore timestamps, log file timestamps, MongoDB BSON dates, and distributed system clocks.

Seconds vs Milliseconds — How to Tell the Difference

The most common source of confusion with Unix timestamps is whether a value is in seconds or milliseconds. The rule of thumb is simple:

  • 10 digits → seconds. Example: 1700000000 = Nov 14, 2023. Standard Unix, used by most backend systems, Linux, Python, Go, Rust, and Ruby.
  • 13 digits → milliseconds. Example: 1700000000000 = same moment. Used by JavaScript (Date.now()), Java (System.currentTimeMillis()), and many front-end APIs.
  • 16 digits → microseconds. Used by PostgreSQL in high-precision contexts and some distributed log systems.

If a timestamp converts to a date far in the future (a 13-digit value interpreted as seconds would give year 56000+), you likely have milliseconds — divide by 1000. This tool auto-detects the format based on digit count.

Unix Timestamps in Databases and APIs

Storing time as a Unix integer — rather than a formatted string — is best practice for backend development because it is timezone-safe, language-agnostic, and fast to index and sort.

  • Timezone-safe: No ambiguity from DST or local offsets. Store UTC seconds, display in any timezone at the application layer.
  • Easy arithmetic: Add 86400 to advance exactly one day; add 3600 for one hour — no calendar library required.
  • JWT claims: The exp, iat, and nbf fields in JWT tokens are Unix seconds. Use the JWT Decoder to inspect them as human-readable dates.
  • Cron scheduling: AWS EventBridge, Kubernetes, and GitHub Actions all log scheduled run times as UTC epoch. The CronRead tool shows next run times alongside Unix timestamps.

Unix Timestamp — FAQ

What is a Unix timestamp?
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC — called the Unix epoch. It's timezone-independent, making it the universal standard for storing time in databases, APIs, and logs.
Seconds or milliseconds? How do I know?
A 10-digit timestamp is in seconds (standard Unix time).
A 13-digit timestamp is in milliseconds — used by JavaScript's Date.now().
This tool auto-detects both and converts accordingly.
What is the Year 2038 problem?
32-bit systems store Unix time as a signed 32-bit integer, which overflows on January 19, 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC (timestamp 2147483647). Modern 64-bit systems can represent dates hundreds of billions of years into the future.
Why is Unix time measured from 1970?
Unix was being actively developed in the early 1970s. The designers chose January 1, 1970 as a convenient recent reference point — close enough to avoid huge numbers while providing a clean boundary. It was a practical engineering decision.
Does Unix timestamp account for timezones?
No — and that's the point. A Unix timestamp always represents the exact same moment in time, regardless of where you are. The conversion to a local date/time is a display concern handled by your software or this tool.
How do I get the current Unix timestamp in my language?
JavaScript: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)
Python: int(time.time())
Go: time.Now().Unix()
Bash: date +%s
SQL: UNIX_TIMESTAMP() (MySQL)
Can Unix timestamps be negative?
Yes. A negative Unix timestamp represents a date before January 1, 1970. For example, -86400 is December 31, 1969 at 00:00:00 UTC. Most modern systems and languages support negative timestamps for historical dates.
What is the difference between Unix timestamp and epoch time?
They are the same thing. Unix timestamp, epoch time, POSIX time, and Unix time are all interchangeable terms referring to the number of seconds since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC.

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