Unix timestamp is a way to track time as a running total of seconds.

What is Unix Timestamp?

Unix timestamp (also known as Epoch time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC.

Current timestamp: When you read this, it's probably around 1700000000+

Why Use Unix Timestamp?

1. Universal: Same value regardless of timezone

2. Simple: Just a number, easy to store and compare

3. Precise: Can include milliseconds

4. Sortable: Numbers sort naturally

Common Conversions

JavaScript

// Current timestamp (seconds)

Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)
// Current timestamp (milliseconds)
Date.now()
// Timestamp to Date
new Date(timestamp * 1000)
// Date to timestamp
Math.floor(date.getTime() / 1000)

Python

import time

from datetime import datetime
Current timestamp
time.time()
Timestamp to datetime
datetime.fromtimestamp(timestamp)
Datetime to timestamp
datetime.timestamp(dt)

Year 2038 Problem

32-bit systems store timestamps as signed 32-bit integers. The maximum value (2,147,483,647) represents January 19, 2038, 03:14:07 UTC.

Solution: Use 64-bit timestamps

Milliseconds vs Seconds

• Unix timestamp: Seconds (10 digits)
• JavaScript Date.now(): Milliseconds (13 digits)

Always check which format your API or database expects.

Use our Timestamp Converter to easily convert between formats.