Unix Timestamp Converter - Epoch Time Tool
Convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates instantly. Our free converter supports seconds and milliseconds, multiple date formats, and timezone comparisons - all processed locally in your browser.
What is Unix Time?
Unix time (also called Epoch time or POSIX time) is a system for describing points in time as the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC. This moment is known as the Unix Epoch.
Why Use Unix Timestamps?
- Universal: Same value regardless of timezone
- Compact: Single integer vs. date string
- Sortable: Easy to compare and sort chronologically
- Programming: Native support in most languages
- Databases: Efficient storage and indexing
Seconds vs. Milliseconds
- Unix Seconds: 10 digits (e.g., 1732752000) - Standard Unix time
- Unix Milliseconds: 13 digits (e.g., 1732752000000) - JavaScript Date.now()
Common Use Cases
- API request/response timestamps
- Database date storage
- Log file analysis
- JWT token expiration times
- Cache expiration headers
- Event scheduling systems
Year 2038 Problem
32-bit systems storing Unix time as a signed integer will overflow on January 19, 2038. Modern 64-bit systems use 64-bit integers, extending the range to billions of years. JavaScript uses 64-bit floats, supporting dates until the year 275760.
Quick Reference
- Current timestamp: Use our live clock above
- 1 day: 86,400 seconds
- 1 week: 604,800 seconds
- 1 year: ~31,536,000 seconds