Unix Timestamp Converter - Seconds/Milliseconds/Microseconds

What is Unix Timestamp?

A Unix timestamp (also known as Epoch time or POSIX time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC, not counting leap seconds. This point in time is called the "Unix Epoch".

Timestamps are timezone-independent and widely used in:

Database date/time fields
API parameters
Log timestamps
File modification times
Cache expiration times

Seconds vs Milliseconds vs Microseconds

Unit	Precision	Digits	Common Usage
Seconds (s)	1 second	10 digits	PHP, MySQL UNIX_TIMESTAMP()
Milliseconds (ms)	0.001 second	13 digits	JavaScript, Java
Microseconds (μs)	0.000001 second	16 digits	High-precision timing, benchmarks

Get Timestamp in Different Languages

JavaScript

// Seconds
Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);

// Milliseconds
Date.now();

// Microseconds (approximate)
performance.now() * 1000;

Python

import time

# Seconds
int(time.time())

# Milliseconds
int(time.time() * 1000)

# Microseconds
int(time.time() * 1000000)

Java

// Milliseconds
System.currentTimeMillis();

// Seconds
System.currentTimeMillis() / 1000L;

// Nanoseconds (Java 8+)
Instant.now().toEpochMilli();

Go

import "time"

// Seconds
time.Now().Unix()

// Milliseconds
time.Now().UnixMilli()

// Microseconds
time.Now().UnixMicro()

PHP

// Seconds
time();

// Milliseconds
round(microtime(true) * 1000);

// Microseconds
round(microtime(true) * 1000000);

MySQL

-- Current timestamp (seconds)
SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP();

-- Date to timestamp
SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP('2024-01-01 00:00:00');

-- Timestamp to date
SELECT FROM_UNIXTIME(1704067200);

FAQ

Q: Why does Unix time start from 1970?

A: January 1, 1970 is when the Unix operating system was born, and it was chosen as the starting point for computer time. This date is called the "Unix Epoch".

Q: What is the Year 2038 problem?

A: 32-bit systems use a signed 32-bit integer to store timestamps, with a maximum value of 2147483647, which corresponds to January 19, 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC. After this time, it will overflow. Modern 64-bit systems have resolved this issue.

Q: Are timestamps timezone-dependent?

A: No, timestamps are timezone-independent as they represent UTC time. The timezone conversion happens only when displaying the time to users.

Q: Is JavaScript's timestamp in seconds or milliseconds?

A: JavaScript's Date.now() and new Date().getTime() return milliseconds (13 digits). Divide by 1000 to get seconds.