Unix Timestamp Converter
Convert between Unix epoch timestamps and human-readable dates. Supports seconds and milliseconds.
What Is a Unix Timestamp?
A Unix timestamp counts seconds since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC (the "Unix Epoch"). It's language-agnostic, timezone-independent, and universally understood by every programming language and database.
Quick Reference
| Date | Timestamp |
|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2000 00:00 UTC | 946684800 |
| Jan 1, 2024 00:00 UTC | 1704067200 |
| Jan 1, 2038 (Y2K38) | 2147483647 |
What a Unix Timestamp Is
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, the Unix epoch. It's a compact, timezone-free way to store a moment in time, which is why databases, APIs, and log files use it everywhere. For example, 1700000000 is 14 November 2023, 22:13:20 UTC.
Seconds vs Milliseconds
Classic Unix time counts seconds (10 digits today), but JavaScript and many APIs use milliseconds (13 digits). If a converted date looks thousands of years off, you probably pasted milliseconds where seconds were expected, or vice-versa — divide or multiply by 1,000.
The Year 2038 Note
Systems that store the value in a signed 32-bit integer run out of room on 19 January 2038. Modern 64-bit systems push that limit billions of years away, so it mainly affects legacy hardware. To work in a specific timezone, pair this with the time zone converter.