Understanding Unix timestamps
A Unix timestamp represents a single point in time as the number of seconds since the Unix Epoch — midnight UTC on January 1, 1970. This simple integer format is used extensively in databases, APIs, log files, and programming languages because it eliminates timezone ambiguity and makes date arithmetic straightforward.
Timestamp to date conversion
Converting a timestamp to a human-readable date requires knowing the target timezone. The same timestamp represents the same absolute moment, but displays differently depending on where you are. For example, timestamp 1700000000 is November 14, 2023 at 22:13:20 UTC, but appears as 5:13 PM EST in New York. This tool shows both UTC and your local time automatically.
Date to timestamp conversion
When you enter a date and time, this tool converts it to Unix seconds and milliseconds. The date you enter is interpreted in your local timezone. Millisecond precision is important for JavaScript (which uses millisecond timestamps natively) and for systems that need sub-second accuracy.
Common timestamp values
Some notable timestamps: 0 is the Epoch itself (Jan 1, 1970), 1000000000 is September 9, 2001, 1234567890 is February 13, 2009, and 2147483647 is the maximum 32-bit signed timestamp (Jan 19, 2038). All conversions happen in your browser using native Date and Intl APIs — nothing is sent to a server.