The Unix Timestamp Calculator converts between Unix timestamps (epoch time) and human-readable dates and times — and vice versa. A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC (the “Unix epoch”). It is a universal, timezone-independent way to represent a specific moment in time used throughout software development, databases, APIs, and logging systems.
Whether you are debugging a web application and need to decode a timestamp in an API response, checking when a log entry was created, calculating the difference between two timestamps, or converting a date to a Unix timestamp for a database query, this calculator gives you instant, accurate conversions in both directions.
The current Unix timestamp is shown automatically. You can convert any timestamp to a readable date, or convert any date and time to a Unix timestamp. The tool works entirely in your browser with no data sent to any server.
Unix Timestamp Calculator
Timestamp to Date
Date to Timestamp
How Unix Timestamps Work
A Unix timestamp is a single integer representing the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. This format is timezone-independent, making it ideal for storing and comparing times across different regions. To convert a timestamp to a date, multiply by 1,000 (to get milliseconds) and pass to a Date object. To convert a date to a timestamp, get the milliseconds since epoch and divide by 1,000 (dropping the decimal).
Notable Unix Timestamps
| Timestamp | Date (UTC) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Jan 1, 1970 00:00:00 | The Unix epoch |
| 1,000,000,000 | Sep 9, 2001 01:46:40 | 1 billion seconds |
| 1,234,567,890 | Feb 13, 2009 23:31:30 | Memorable sequence |
| 1,700,000,000 | Nov 14, 2023 22:13:20 | Recent reference |
| 2,147,483,647 | Jan 19, 2038 03:14:07 | 32-bit overflow (Year 2038 problem) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do developers use Unix timestamps?
Unix timestamps are simple integers that are easy to store, compare, and calculate with. They are timezone-independent, so there is no ambiguity about what “3:00 PM” means — the timestamp is the same regardless of where the server or user is located. They are the standard format for APIs, databases, log files, and programming languages worldwide.
What is the Year 2038 problem?
Many older systems store Unix timestamps as 32-bit signed integers. The maximum value of a 32-bit signed integer is 2,147,483,647 — which represents January 19, 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC. After that moment, the counter would overflow and roll back to a large negative number, potentially causing software failures. Modern systems use 64-bit integers, which can represent dates billions of years into the future.
What is the difference between Unix timestamp and epoch time?
They are the same thing. “Epoch time” and “Unix time” both refer to the number of seconds since January 1, 1970. Some APIs use milliseconds (JavaScript’s Date.now()) rather than seconds — in that case, divide by 1,000 to get the standard Unix timestamp.
How do I get the current Unix timestamp in different languages?
In JavaScript: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000). In Python: import time; int(time.time()). In PHP: time(). In SQL (MySQL): UNIX_TIMESTAMP(). In Bash: date +%s. All of these return the current seconds since epoch.
Are Unix timestamps affected by daylight saving time?
No. Unix timestamps are always based on UTC, which does not observe daylight saving time. The conversion from a timestamp to a local time will reflect DST if your time zone uses it, but the timestamp itself is always UTC-based and unambiguous.