How to Use Epoch Converter

Key Takeaways

A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds (or milliseconds) elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC — known as the Unix Epoch

The original standard is seconds

Timestamps are unambiguous integers — no timezone confusion, no format parsing, and trivial to sort and compare

32-bit systems store timestamps as a signed integer, which overflows on January 19, 2038

What is Epoch Converter?

Epoch Converter converts Unix timestamps (seconds or milliseconds since 1970-01-01 UTC) to human-readable date/time strings, and converts dates back to timestamps. Essential for debugging API responses, log files, and database records that use numeric time values.

Unix timestamps are the internal clock of the internet. HTTP headers, JWT tokens, database records, log files — they all use them. This tool bridges the gap between the number and the date.

Two Directions of Conversion

Timestamp → Date

Enter a 10-digit (seconds) or 13-digit (milliseconds) number to see the UTC and local date/time.

Date → Timestamp

Pick a date and time from a calendar or type an ISO string to get its Unix timestamp.

Current Timestamp

The 'Now' button fills in the current Unix timestamp — useful for testing time-sensitive systems.

Timezone Display

See the timestamp converted to both UTC and your browser's local timezone simultaneously.

Enter a timestamp

Paste a Unix timestamp (e.g. 1715165400) into the input. Seconds or milliseconds both work.

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Read the date

The date appears in UTC and your local timezone instantly.

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Or pick a date

Use the date/time picker to select a date and get its Unix timestamp.

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Copy the result

Copy the timestamp or the ISO date string to use in your code or API call.

Common Timestamp Reference Points

Unix Timestamp	Date (UTC)
`0`	1970-01-01 00:00:00
`1000000000`	2001-09-09 01:46:40
`1700000000`	2023-11-14 22:13:20
`1715165400`	2024-05-08 (example)
`2147483647`	2038-01-19 03:14:07 (32-bit max)

Tips & Common Mistakes

Check for milliseconds vs seconds. If a timestamp converts to a date in 1970, it’s probably milliseconds being interpreted as seconds. Divide by 1000 or use the ms toggle.

JWT exp and iat claims are always seconds, not milliseconds, regardless of language. JavaScript’s Date.now() returns ms — always divide by 1000 when setting JWT claims in JS.

Log timestamps are always UTC. When reading server logs, remember the timestamps are in UTC. Subtract your UTC offset to get local time, or just use this converter.

Timezone Converter — convert a time from one timezone to another
JWT Decoder — decode exp/iat claims from JWT tokens
Date Difference — calculate the gap between two dates

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Unix timestamp?

A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds (or milliseconds) elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC — known as the Unix Epoch. It's the universal way computers store and compare points in time.

Is a Unix timestamp in seconds or milliseconds?

The original standard is seconds. JavaScript's Date.now() returns milliseconds. A 10-digit number is seconds; a 13-digit number is milliseconds. The converter auto-detects.

Why do APIs use Unix timestamps instead of ISO dates?

Timestamps are unambiguous integers — no timezone confusion, no format parsing, and trivial to sort and compare. ISO strings require timezone parsing which varies by locale.

What is the Year 2038 problem?

32-bit systems store timestamps as a signed integer, which overflows on January 19, 2038. 64-bit systems can represent dates billions of years into the future.

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