🕒 Timestamp Converter – Convert Between Unix Timestamps and Human-Readable Dates
The Timestamp Converter is a client-side tool that allows you to convert between Unix timestamps (epoch time) and human-readable date formats in both directions. Whether you're a developer, data analyst, or anyone working with time data, this tool makes it easy to convert timestamps without sending any data to a server.
This guide explains what Unix timestamps are, their formats, and walks you through using our free online converter for your projects.
📘 What are Unix Timestamps?
A Unix timestamp (also known as epoch time, POSIX time, or Unix time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC. This point in time is known as the Unix epoch.
Unix timestamps are widely used in programming and computing because they provide a standardized way to represent time across different systems and programming languages. They're particularly useful for:
- Storing dates and times in databases
- Calculating time differences
- Sorting events chronologically
- Handling time across different time zones
🧩 Timestamp Formats
Unix timestamps are commonly represented in two formats:
- Seconds: The traditional Unix timestamp counts seconds since the epoch. Example:
1623456789
- Milliseconds: Many modern systems use milliseconds for greater precision. Example:
1623456789000
Our converter handles both formats automatically, detecting whether a timestamp is in seconds or milliseconds based on its length.
⚙️ How the Timestamp Converter Works
Our Timestamp Converter provides a simple interface to:
- Convert Unix timestamps to human-readable dates in various formats
- Convert human-readable dates to Unix timestamps in seconds or milliseconds
- View conversions in real-time as you type or select dates
- Copy results with a single click
- Set the current time with the "Now" button
🧩 Key Features
- ⚡ Real-time conversion as you type or select dates
- 🔄 Bidirectional conversion (timestamp ↔ date)
- 🌐 Support for multiple time zones
- 📋 Easy copying of conversion results
- 🕒 "Now" button to quickly set current time
- 🔢 Support for both seconds and milliseconds
- 📅 Multiple date/time formats (ISO 8601, RFC 2822, etc.)
- 🔐 Client-side only — all conversion happens in your browser
- 📱 Mobile and desktop-friendly interface
- 🌓 Light and dark mode support
🔐 Security and Privacy
Our Timestamp Converter runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript's native Date object, ensuring:
- No server communication — your data never leaves your device
- No tracking or logging of your conversions
- Fast performance with instant results
🔄 Common Uses for Timestamp Conversion
Timestamp conversion is useful in many scenarios:
- Debugging applications that use timestamps
- Reading log files that contain Unix timestamps
- Working with APIs that return timestamps
- Database queries involving time data
- Analyzing time-series data in various formats
🔄 How to Use the Timestamp Converter
- Enter a Unix timestamp or select a date/time using the date picker
- View the conversion results in real-time
- Toggle between seconds and milliseconds for timestamp output
- Select different date formats and time zones as needed
- Use the "Now" button to quickly set the current time
- Copy the results using the copy buttons