Unix Timestamps: A Developer Essential

Unix timestamps count the number of seconds since January 1, 1970 (the Unix Epoch). They are the universal language of time in computing.

Why Unix Timestamps

Timestamps are timezone-independent, making them ideal for storing and comparing times. They are simple integers, easy to sort and compare. Every programming language supports them natively.

Current Conventions

Most systems use seconds since epoch. JavaScript uses milliseconds (multiply by 1000). Some databases use microseconds. Always check your platform documentation.

The Year 2038 Problem

Systems using 32-bit signed integers to store timestamps will overflow on January 19, 2038. This is similar to the Y2K problem. Most modern systems use 64-bit integers, which are safe for billions of years.

Working with Timestamps

In JavaScript: Date.now() returns milliseconds. In Python: time.time() returns seconds as a float. In SQL: UNIX_TIMESTAMP() and FROM_UNIXTIME() handle conversions.

Our Unix Timestamp Tool

Use our converter to quickly translate between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates. The tool also displays the current timestamp in real time, useful for development and debugging.