How to use the converter
- Timestamp to date: paste a Unix timestamp. The tool detects whether it is in seconds (10 digits for current dates), milliseconds (13 digits), microseconds or nanoseconds, and shows the date in UTC, your local time and ISO 8601 format, plus how long ago or how far in the future it is.
- Date to timestamp: pick a date and time, choose whether it is your local time or UTC, and copy the timestamp in seconds or milliseconds.
- The current Unix time at the top updates every second.
What is Unix time?
Unix time (also called epoch time or POSIX time) counts the number of seconds that have passed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, known as the Unix epoch — ignoring leap seconds. It is a single number with no time zone, which makes it easy for computers to store, compare and sort. Databases, log files, APIs, JWT tokens and most programming languages use it internally.
Seconds vs. milliseconds
| Unit | Digits (today) | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Seconds | 10 | Unix/Linux, PHP time(), Python time.time(), JWT exp |
| Milliseconds | 13 | JavaScript Date.now(), Java System.currentTimeMillis() |
| Microseconds | 16 | Some databases and high-precision logs |
| Nanoseconds | 19 | Go time.UnixNano(), some tracing systems |
Getting the current timestamp in code
| Language | Code |
|---|---|
| JavaScript | Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) |
| Python | int(time.time()) |
| PHP | time() |
| MySQL | SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP(); |
| Linux shell | date +%s |
The year 2038 problem
Older systems store Unix time as a signed 32-bit integer, which can only count up to 2,147,483,647 seconds — reached at 03:14:07 UTC on 19 January 2038. After that, the number overflows and dates jump back to 1901. Modern operating systems and languages use 64-bit time, which will not overflow for billions of years, but embedded devices and old databases may still be affected.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current Unix timestamp?
It is shown live at the top of this page and updates every second.
Is Unix time the same in every time zone?
Yes. A Unix timestamp is always based on UTC, so it is the same moment everywhere. Only its display as a local date and time differs.
How do I know if a timestamp is in seconds or milliseconds?
For current dates, seconds have 10 digits and milliseconds 13. The converter detects this automatically.
Does Unix time include leap seconds?
No. Unix time treats every day as exactly 86,400 seconds, so leap seconds are not counted.