Epoch Converter
Convert Unix timestamps to human-readable dates and back
Current epoch:
0About Epoch Converter
Unix time (also called epoch time) counts the seconds that have passed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970. Systems store timestamps this way because a single number is easy to compare, sort, and transmit, and it does not depend on any time zone.
This converter turns Unix timestamps into human-readable dates and back. Timestamps come in seconds (10 digits today) or milliseconds (13 digits), and mixing them up is one of the most frequent causes of dates that appear to be in 1970 or thousands of years in the future.
Common use cases
- Reading a timestamp from a database row, log entry, or API response.
- Generating the timestamp for a specific date to use in a query or test fixture.
- Checking whether an expiry value such as a token's exp claim has passed.
- Confirming whether a value is in seconds or milliseconds.
Frequently asked questions
- How can I tell seconds from milliseconds?
- Current timestamps in seconds have 10 digits; in milliseconds they have 13. A 13-digit value read as seconds produces a date far in the future.
- Does Unix time include time zones?
- No. It is always relative to UTC. Time zones only matter when you display the value as a local date.
- What happens in the year 2038?
- Systems that store Unix time in a signed 32-bit integer overflow on 19 January 2038. Modern 64-bit systems are not affected.