Because the Unix system was created in 1969-1970. The creators needed to pick a "zero point" for time counting - they picked the round date closest to system launch. The standard caught on, and all Unix-derived systems (Linux, macOS, BSD) count this way to this day.

Why does a timestamp sometimes have 10 digits and sometimes 13?

**10 digits = seconds** (classic Unix timestamp). **13 digits = milliseconds** (used by JavaScript, Java, some APIs). The tool auto-detects which format you typed. Conversion is simple: divide/multiply by 1000.

Does a timestamp account for timezones?

**No - a timestamp is always in UTC**, regardless of your location. That's its strength - one number for everyone in the world. The conversion to a local timezone happens only at display time. The tool shows both values at once.

What is the "year 2038 problem"?

A **classic 32-bit problem**. The maximum timestamp in a signed 32-bit integer is **2,147,483,647** = January 19, 2038, 03:14:07 UTC. After that time, a 32-bit timestamp will "wrap around" - similar to the Y2K problem in 2000. Most modern systems already use 64-bit (limit at 292 billion years), but older devices (IoT hardware, embedded systems) may still face this issue.

How do I generate a current timestamp in popular languages?

One command per environment: - **JavaScript**: `Date.now()` (milliseconds). - **Python**: `time.time()` (seconds with decimals). - **PHP**: `time()` (seconds). - **Linux terminal**: `date +%s` (seconds). - **SQL**: `UNIX_TIMESTAMP()` (MySQL) or `EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW())` (PostgreSQL).

What does "Unix Epoch" mean?

It's the **reference point** for time in computer systems - **January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC**. All timestamps are counted "from the epoch". Negative timestamps (before 1970) exist too, but are rarely used.

Does a timestamp account for leap seconds?

No - a timestamp **ignores leap seconds**. Unix time assumes every day has exactly 86,400 seconds (60 × 60 × 24), even when IERS adds a leap second. For most uses this isn't a problem - for precise astronomical measurements, it is.

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Unix timestamp converter

Convert a Unix timestamp to a readable date and back, in seconds or milliseconds.

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Timestamp to date

Unix timestamp

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Date to timestamp

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in your timezone

What is a Unix timestamp and how do I convert it to a date?

A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00 UTC. Computers use this "internal" format instead of human-readable dates - it's one number, easy to store and compare.

Type a timestamp - get the date in your local timezone and UTC. The tool auto-detects whether you typed seconds or milliseconds. Works the other way too: pick a date, get the timestamp.

Bonus: a live "now" timestamp counter - useful for developers testing databases or APIs.

How to use it

Pick a mode: Timestamp → Date (I have a number, want to see the date) or Date → Timestamp (pick a date, get the number).
Enter the value. The tool auto-detects whether it's seconds (10 digits) or milliseconds (13 digits).
On the right you see the result in several formats - local timezone, UTC, ISO 8601, human-readable ("3 hours ago").
Click "Use current" to insert the current timestamp.

When this is useful

Everyday situations where a timestamp needs to become a date or the other way around:

Programming - debugging logs - servers record event times as timestamps in logs. Copy and see when something actually happened.
Databases - "created_at" columns usually store a timestamp. Quickly check when a customer signed up.
APIs and integrations - most REST APIs return dates as timestamps in JSON responses. Convert to a readable date without writing code.
Checking record age - "this record has timestamp 1640000000 - when was that?". Answer: December 20, 2021.
Generating test dates - need a "January 1, 2025" timestamp for a test? Pick the date, copy the timestamp.
Files in the operating system - file modification dates on Unix systems are also timestamps.

To convert times between timezones, use our timezone converter. To count days between two dates, see date difference.

Questions and answers

The number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. That date is called the "Unix Epoch". Example: timestamp 1700000000 = November 14, 2023, 22:13:20 UTC. Larger numbers = later dates.

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