Timestamp Converter
Convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates. Support for seconds, milliseconds, and ISO 8601 format
Current Timestamp
Timestamp to Date
Date to Timestamp
Quick Examples
View the current timestamp section at the top of the converter which displays the live Unix timestamp in both seconds and milliseconds precision, updating in real-time every second. This provides an immediate reference for the current moment in Unix time format, essential for comparing with logged timestamps or setting up time-based tests.
Use the 'Timestamp to Date' converter to transform Unix timestamps into human-readable formats. Enter your timestamp value in the input field, then select whether it's in seconds or milliseconds using the unit toggle buttons. The tool intelligently handles both formats and validates the input automatically.
After entering a timestamp, view the comprehensive conversion results including ISO 8601 format (the international standard for date/time representation), local time in your timezone with full weekday and month names, UTC time for universal reference, and both seconds and milliseconds Unix timestamp values for cross-reference.
Click the 'Use Current Time' button in the timestamp to date section to instantly populate the input field with the current timestamp in your selected unit (seconds or milliseconds), making it easy to test the conversion with the present moment.
Utilize the 'Date to Timestamp' converter for the reverse operation - converting human-readable dates into Unix timestamps. Select your desired date using the intuitive date picker that supports navigation through any year, month, and day, accounting for leap years and varying month lengths automatically.
Set the specific time using the time input control with hour, minute, and second precision in 24-hour format. The time picker ensures proper validation and prevents invalid time entries while supporting second-level accuracy for precise timestamp generation.
Review the conversion results showing both Unix timestamp formats (seconds and milliseconds) and the ISO 8601 representation. Each format is displayed in a dedicated field with a copy button for instant clipboard transfer, streamlining your workflow when working with timestamps in code or documentation.
Use the quick example buttons to instantly load common timestamp values like Unix Epoch (January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 UTC - the beginning of Unix time), 1 billion seconds milestone, recent dates, or the current timestamp. These presets help you understand timestamp scales and test the converter with known values.
Copy any timestamp or date value to your clipboard by clicking the copy icon next to each field. This one-click copy feature works across all result fields, making it effortless to transfer values into your code editor, database queries, API testing tools, or documentation.
Leverage the real-time updating current timestamp display for monitoring time progression in Unix format, useful when coordinating with server logs, debugging time-sensitive operations, or understanding how timestamps increment over time in both seconds and milliseconds.
Pro Tips
- Seconds vs Milliseconds: JavaScript and many modern APIs use milliseconds (13-digit timestamps like 1700000000000), while Unix systems and older APIs typically use seconds (10-digit timestamps like 1700000000). When in doubt, check the magnitude - if it's around 10 digits, it's seconds; if it's around 13 digits, it's milliseconds. The converter handles both automatically, but selecting the correct unit ensures accurate conversion.
- Timezone Awareness: Unix timestamps are always UTC-based (timezone-independent), representing the number of seconds/milliseconds since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC. When converting to human-readable format, the 'Local Time' field shows the time in your device's timezone, while 'UTC Time' shows the universal reference. This distinction is crucial when working across timezones or debugging issues related to daylight saving time.
- ISO 8601 for APIs: The ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2024-01-15T14:30:00.000Z) is the international standard for date/time representation and is preferred for API communication, database storage, and cross-platform compatibility. Always use ISO 8601 in JSON APIs, REST endpoints, and data interchange formats to avoid ambiguity and timezone confusion.
- Timestamp Validation: Invalid timestamps (like values representing dates before 1970 or far into the future) may indicate bugs in your application. If you encounter unusually small (negative) or large timestamps, verify that your code isn't confusing seconds with milliseconds, hasn't introduced timezone offset errors, or isn't using incorrect epoch references (some systems use different epoch dates).
- Precision Considerations: Millisecond precision is essential for high-frequency operations like measuring API response times, logging rapid events, or ordering database transactions that occur within the same second. For general scheduling, date storage, or human-scale events, second precision is usually sufficient and more readable in logs.
- Database Storage Best Practices: Store timestamps in databases using their native timestamp types (TIMESTAMP, DATETIME) or as Unix timestamps (INTEGER for seconds, BIGINT for milliseconds) rather than formatted strings. This enables efficient indexing, sorting, and time-based queries. Use ISO 8601 strings only when human readability in raw data is required.
- Testing Time-Based Logic: Use the date-to-timestamp converter to generate specific timestamps for testing edge cases in your code, such as leap year handling, daylight saving transitions, month boundaries, or year rollovers. Set exact dates and times to reproduce bugs or verify that your application handles special dates correctly.
- Bookmarking for Quick Access: Developers working frequently with timestamps should bookmark this tool for instant access during debugging sessions, log analysis, or API development. Having quick conversion capability saves time compared to writing temporary JavaScript Date conversion code or searching for online calculators.
- Understanding Epoch Time: The Unix epoch (January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC) is the zero point for Unix time. Timestamps before this date are negative numbers. This system was chosen when Unix was developed and is now universally used across operating systems, programming languages, and databases, making it the de facto standard for computer time representation.
- Mobile and Remote Work: The converter works seamlessly on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops with full responsive design. This makes it invaluable for on-call engineers debugging production issues remotely, developers working from various locations, or anyone needing timestamp conversion without access to development tools.
- Copy-Paste Workflow Optimization: The one-click copy buttons next to each result field are optimized for rapid workflow integration. When analyzing logs or API responses, you can quickly convert timestamps and paste results into bug reports, documentation, Slack messages, or code comments without manual selection or typing.
Why Use This Tool?
The Timestamp Converter eliminates the mental overhead and potential errors associated with manual timestamp calculations, making Unix time interpretation accessible to developers, administrators, and analysts regardless of their familiarity with epoch time concepts. Instead of writing temporary JavaScript code, using browser console calculations, or memorizing conversion formulas, you can instantly convert timestamps in both directions with full precision and multiple format options. The real-time current timestamp display provides an always-available reference point for comparing against logged values or understanding relative time differences. For teams working across timezones or debugging distributed systems, the tool serves as a common reference that removes ambiguity from timestamp discussions by showing both UTC and local time representations simultaneously. The support for both seconds and milliseconds handles the most common timestamp formats across all major programming languages, databases, and operating systems, while the ISO 8601 format ensures compatibility with international standards and modern APIs. The one-click copy functionality streamlines workflows by integrating seamlessly with code editors, documentation tools, and communication platforms, eliminating the friction of manual typing and reducing transcription errors. By providing instant bidirectional conversion with comprehensive format support, the tool accelerates development workflows, reduces debugging time, prevents timestamp-related bugs, and improves code reliability. Whether you're analyzing production logs during an outage, testing time-based application features, migrating data between systems, or simply trying to understand when a particular event occurred, having a reliable timestamp converter ensures accurate time interpretation and eliminates the confusion that often surrounds Unix timestamps, ultimately leading to faster problem resolution and more robust time-handling in software systems.