Unix Timestamp Converter: The Complete Guide to Epoch Time (2026)

Unix timestamp (also called Epoch time or POSIX time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. This seemingly arbitrary date marks the beginning of the "Unix Epoch" and has become the universal standard for representing time in computing.

Our free Timestamp Converter makes working with epoch time effortless. Convert timestamps to human-readable dates, transform dates back to Unix time, and work across multiple timezones�all instantly in your browser.

How Unix Time Works

Unix time is elegantly simple: it's a single integer that counts seconds from a fixed point in time. This makes it incredibly efficient for:

• Storage � Just 4-8 bytes instead of 20+ bytes for formatted strings
• Comparison � Simple integer comparison for ordering events
• Arithmetic � Easy to add/subtract seconds for time calculations
• Timezone Independence � UTC by definition, no ambiguity

// The Unix Epoch
January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC = 0

// One day later
January 2, 1970 00:00:00 UTC = 86400 (60 * 60 * 24)

// Current time (Feb 5, 2026)
February 5, 2026 18:00:00 UTC = 1738778400

// Before the Epoch (negative values)
December 31, 1969 00:00:00 UTC = -86400

Seconds vs Milliseconds

You'll encounter two common formats for Unix timestamps:

Seconds (10 digits)

The traditional Unix timestamp, counting seconds since the Epoch. Used by most Unix/Linux systems, PHP, Python, and backend systems.

Milliseconds (13 digits)

Counts milliseconds since the Epoch. Used by JavaScript, Java, and many modern APIs for higher precision.

The Year 2038 Problem

On January 19, 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC, 32-bit signed integers will overflow. This is known as the "Y2038 bug" or "Epochalypse."

// Maximum 32-bit signed integer
2,147,483,647 seconds since Epoch

// Equals this date:
Tuesday, January 19, 2038 03:14:07 UTC

// One second later, overflow occurs:
2,147,483,648 becomes -2,147,483,648
// Which equals: December 13, 1901 ??

Timestamps and Timezones

One of the most elegant aspects of Unix timestamps is that they're inherently timezone-agnostic. A timestamp represents a specific instant in time, without any timezone information.

// Unix timestamp: 1738778400

UTC:        Feb 5, 2026 18:00:00
New York:  Feb 5, 2026 13:00:00 (EST, UTC-5)
London:    Feb 5, 2026 18:00:00 (GMT)
Tokyo:     Feb 6, 2026 03:00:00 (JST, UTC+9)
Mumbai:    Feb 5, 2026 23:30:00 (IST, UTC+5:30)

Best Practice: Store in UTC

Always store timestamps as UTC (which they are by definition), then convert to local time only for display. This prevents countless bugs related to daylight saving time, timezone changes, and data synchronization.

Programming with Timestamps

JavaScript

// Get current timestamp (milliseconds)
const nowMs = Date.now();

// Get current timestamp (seconds)
const nowSec = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);

// Timestamp to Date
const date = new Date(1738778400 * 1000);

// Date to Timestamp
const timestamp = Math.floor(date.getTime() / 1000);

Python

import time
from datetime import datetime

# Get current timestamp (seconds)
now = time.time()

# Timestamp to datetime
dt = datetime.fromtimestamp(1738778400)

# Datetime to timestamp
timestamp = dt.timestamp()

# UTC datetime to timestamp
utc_dt = datetime.utcfromtimestamp(1738778400)

PHP

// Get current timestamp
$now = time();

// Timestamp to date string
$date = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', 1738778400);

// Date string to timestamp
$timestamp = strtotime('2026-02-05 18:00:00');

// DateTime object
$dt = DateTime::createFromFormat('U', 1738778400);

Common Use Cases

1. Database Timestamps

Storing creation and modification times as Unix timestamps ensures consistency across different database systems and makes queries efficient.

2. API Responses

Most REST APIs return timestamps in Unix format, often in the created_at, updated_at, or expires_at fields.

3. JWT Tokens

JSON Web Tokens use Unix timestamps for the exp (expiration), iat (issued at), and nbf (not before) claims.

4. Log Files

Application logs often use Unix timestamps for precise, sortable entries across distributed systems.

5. Caching

Cache expiration times are typically set as Unix timestamps, making it easy to check if content is stale.

Frequently Asked Questions

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