Current Unix Timestamp: -
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC (the Unix epoch). It is a timezone-independent integer that represents any point in time precisely — used in APIs, databases, JWT tokens, and log files worldwide.
Unix timestamps in common languages
| Language | Get current timestamp (seconds) |
|---|---|
| JavaScript | Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) |
| Python | import time; int(time.time()) |
| Go | time.Now().Unix() |
| Java | Instant.now().getEpochSecond() |
| PHP | time() |
| Bash | date +%s |
When to Use the Timestamp Converter
- When an API returns a Unix timestamp and you need to verify it represents the date you expect before using it in your application.
- When writing a database query or log filter and you need to convert a human-readable date range to Unix timestamps for the
WHEREclause. - When debugging API requests or responses that include
created_at,expires_at, oriat/expfields (common in JWT tokens). - When calculating time differences — converting two dates to timestamps first lets you subtract them to get an exact duration in seconds.
Seconds vs milliseconds — the most common bug
A Unix timestamp is a count of time since the epoch, 1 January 1970 at 00:00:00 UTC. The catch is that different systems count in different units. Unix command-line tools, Postgres, and most backend languages default to seconds (a 10-digit number today), while JavaScript's Date.now() and many JSON APIs use milliseconds (13 digits). Mixing them is the single most frequent timestamp bug: feed a seconds value into a milliseconds parser and you land in 1970; do the reverse and you land tens of thousands of years in the future. A quick sanity check — a current timestamp in seconds is about 1.7 billion (10 digits); in milliseconds it's about 1.7 trillion (13 digits). This tool detects and shows both so you can tell at a glance which one an API gave you.
Timezones and storage advice
A Unix timestamp is always UTC — it has no timezone of its own. The timezone only matters when you display it, which is why the same instant shows a different wall-clock time in New York and Tokyo. The practical rule for storing time is: store the instant in UTC (as a timestamp or an ISO-8601 string ending in Z), and convert to the user's local timezone only at the moment you render it. That keeps sorting, comparisons, and duration math correct regardless of where your users or servers are. If you work with JWTs, note that the iat, exp, and nbf claims are Unix timestamps in seconds — you can decode a full token with the JWT Decoder.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Unix timestamp?
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC (the Unix epoch). It is a timezone-independent integer that represents any moment in time precisely, used in databases, APIs, JWT tokens (exp/iat fields), log files, and system clocks worldwide.
How do I get the current Unix timestamp in JavaScript?
Use Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) for seconds, or Date.now() for milliseconds. Date.now() is the most reliable cross-browser method. In Node.js you can also use process.hrtime() for nanosecond precision.
What is the difference between seconds and milliseconds timestamps?
Unix timestamps are traditionally in seconds (10 digits, e.g. 1715000000). JavaScript's Date.now() returns milliseconds (13 digits, e.g. 1715000000000). Many APIs expect seconds — divide by 1000 when sending from JavaScript. You can usually tell which is which by digit count: 10 digits = seconds, 13 digits = milliseconds.
What is the Year 2038 problem?
32-bit signed integers can only store values up to 2,147,483,647, which corresponds to January 19, 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC. Systems that store Unix timestamps in a 32-bit integer will overflow on that date and roll back to 1901. Modern systems use 64-bit integers, which can represent dates billions of years into the future.
How do I get the current Unix timestamp in Python?
Use import time; int(time.time()) for seconds, or time.time() for a float with sub-second precision. For milliseconds: int(time.time() * 1000).
Are Unix timestamps affected by daylight saving time?
No. Unix timestamps are always in UTC and have no concept of timezones or daylight saving. They count seconds from the epoch in UTC. Timezone conversion only happens when you display a timestamp as a human-readable date.
Can I convert a Unix timestamp to a specific timezone?
Yes. Use the Timezone selector to pick any IANA zone (e.g. America/New_York, Asia/Tokyo) — both the Timestamp → Date and Date → Timestamp conversions use that zone, correctly accounting for daylight saving time changes on the exact date involved.
Can I convert a list of timestamps or dates at once?
Yes. Paste one value per line into the Bulk Convert box — the tool auto-detects whether each line is a Unix timestamp or a date string, converts it using your selected timezone and output format, and lets you download all results as a CSV file.
Last updated: July 2026