Unix Timestamp Converter — Epoch to Date Online

What a Unix timestamp is

A count of seconds since midnight UTC on 1 January 1970, called the epoch. It is a single number with no timezone attached, which is exactly why systems use it: two servers on opposite sides of the world agree on it without negotiating anything.

1700000000 is 14 November 2023 at 22:13:20 UTC. The number carries no clue about that, which is why logs full of timestamps need a converter.

Seconds or milliseconds

Unix, Python and most databases use seconds. JavaScript and Java use milliseconds. Mixing them is the most common timestamp bug there is, and it fails in a distinctive way: seconds read as milliseconds land in January 1970, and milliseconds read as seconds land somewhere around the year 55,000.

The quick check is length. Ten digits is seconds; thirteen is milliseconds.

The 2038 problem

A signed 32-bit integer runs out on 19 January 2038, at which point it wraps to a negative number and dates jump back to 1901. Modern systems use 64-bit values and are unaffected, but old embedded systems and legacy databases are still being found and fixed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — free, no sign-up, and it converts as you type.

Yes. Everything runs in your browser after the page loads - nothing you type is sent anywhere. It is the same code our mobile app uses, compiled to run on the web, so the two can never disagree with each other.

Count the digits. Ten digits is seconds, thirteen is milliseconds. Unix and most databases use seconds; JavaScript and Java use milliseconds.

Almost always a timezone difference. Timestamps are UTC by definition; the local time shown depends on your device, so a UTC timestamp will read differently from your wall clock.

Midnight UTC on 1 January 1970 — the zero point Unix time counts from. It was chosen as a convenient recent date when Unix was being built.

Systems still storing time in a signed 32-bit integer overflow on 19 January 2038 and wrap to 1901. Anything using 64-bit time — which is nearly everything modern — is unaffected.

Timestamp Converter

What a Unix timestamp is

Seconds or milliseconds

The 2038 problem

Frequently Asked Questions

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