Unix Timestamp Converter
Convert Unix (epoch) timestamps to readable dates and back. The unit is detected automatically, and results are shown in UTC, your local time and ISO 8601.
Last updated
How to use the Timestamp Converter
See the current time
The live panel shows the current Unix timestamp in seconds and milliseconds.
Convert a timestamp
Paste a timestamp under Timestamp → Date. The unit is detected from its length, or you can choose it.
Convert a date
Pick a date and time under Date → Timestamp and choose whether it's local time or UTC.
Copy what you need
Copy any value — Unix seconds, milliseconds, ISO 8601, UTC or local time — with one click.
Features
- Live current Unix time in seconds and milliseconds
- Timestamp → date with automatic unit detection (seconds, milliseconds, microseconds or nanoseconds), or choose s, ms or µs yourself
- Results in UTC, your local time zone, ISO 8601 and relative time (“3 hours ago”)
- Date → timestamp for any date and time, interpreted as local time or UTC
- Negative timestamps (dates before 1970) and decimal values
- One-click copy for every value
- Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl/Cmd + Enter converts the current time
Privacy
All conversions run in your browser with JavaScript's Date and Intl APIs, using your device's clock and time zone. The timestamps and dates you enter aren't sent to a server.
Examples
Seconds to a date
A 10-digit value is detected as seconds.
Timestamp
1700000000ISO 8601 (UTC)
2023-11-14T22:13:20.000ZMilliseconds to a date
13 digits — typical of JavaScript's Date.now() — are detected as milliseconds.
Timestamp
1700000000000ISO 8601 (UTC)
2023-11-14T22:13:20.000ZThe Unix epoch
Timestamp 0 is the moment Unix time starts counting from.
Timestamp
0ISO 8601 (UTC)
1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
Understanding Unix timestamps
What is a Unix timestamp?
A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time or POSIX time) is the number of seconds since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970 — the Unix epoch. It identifies one exact moment, regardless of time zone, which makes it a simple and reliable way for computers to store and compare times.
Seconds vs milliseconds
Unix tools and many back-end languages use seconds — for example date +%s in a shell or time() in PHP. JavaScript's Date.now() and Java's System.currentTimeMillis() use milliseconds. The quickest way to tell them apart is to count the digits:
| Digits (today) | Unit | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Seconds | 1790000000 |
| 13 | Milliseconds | 1790000000000 |
| 16 | Microseconds | 1790000000000000 |
| 19 | Nanoseconds | 1790000000000000000 |
Unix timestamp examples
| Timestamp (seconds) | Date and time (UTC) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1 January 1970, 00:00:00 — the Unix epoch |
| 1000000000 | 9 September 2001, 01:46:40 |
| 1700000000 | 14 November 2023, 22:13:20 |
| 2147483647 | 19 January 2038, 03:14:07 — the 32-bit limit |
| -86400 | 31 December 1969, 00:00:00 |
UTC vs local time
A timestamp is a single instant. Shown in UTC, it reads the same everywhere; shown in local time, it depends on the time zone and daylight saving time. A common practice is to store and transmit times as UTC or Unix timestamps, and convert them to local time only when displaying them. DevNest shows both, using your device's time zone.
Common timestamp formats
| Format | Example (the same moment) |
|---|---|
| Unix seconds | 1790000000 |
| Unix milliseconds | 1790000000000 |
| ISO 8601 (UTC) | 2026-09-21T14:13:20.000Z |
| HTTP / email style (UTC) | Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:13:20 GMT |
DevNest outputs Unix seconds, Unix milliseconds, ISO 8601, a formatted UTC time, your local time and a relative time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get the current Unix timestamp in code?
In JavaScript use Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000), in Python int(time.time()), in PHP time(), and in a Unix shell date +%s. All of these return seconds.
Does the converter handle dates before 1970?
Yes. Dates before the Unix epoch have negative timestamps, for example -86400 is 31 December 1969. Enter a negative number or pick an earlier date.
Why is the converted time different from my server's logs?
Usually because of time zones: servers often log in UTC while the local time shown here uses your device's time zone. Compare the UTC row instead, and make sure you're using the right unit (seconds or milliseconds).
Are leap seconds included in Unix time?
No. Unix time ignores leap seconds and treats every day as exactly 86,400 seconds.
What is the year 2038 problem?
Systems that store Unix time as a signed 32-bit integer can only count up to 2,147,483,647 seconds, reached on 19 January 2038, after which the value overflows. Modern systems use 64-bit timestamps and aren't affected.