# Unix Timestamp Converter

> Convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates, locally in your browser.

Canonical: https://host-tools.com/tools/timestamp-converter/

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## What is a Unix timestamp?

A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds that have elapsed since 1 January 1970 00:00:00 UTC, a
moment known as the Unix epoch. Because it is a single integer, it is the standard way to store
and compare instants in logs, APIs, databases and file systems. The same instant is written as
`1700000000` whether you are in Madrid, New York or Tokyo.

### Seconds or milliseconds?

Most languages use seconds, but JavaScript's `Date.now()` returns milliseconds. The two differ by
a factor of 1,000, so the same moment can be `1700000000` (seconds) or `1700000000000`
(milliseconds). This tool detects both and tells you which unit it used.

### Converting timestamps

To read a timestamp, convert it to a date in your own time zone. The epoch itself is always
expressed in UTC, so the same timestamp maps to a different wall-clock time depending on where
you are. `1700000000` is 22:13:20 UTC on 14 November 2023, but 23:13:20 in Central European
Time. To create a timestamp, take a date and compute the seconds since the epoch.

### When to use each direction

- Use a timestamp when storing, sorting or comparing events in code, logs and databases.
- Use a human-readable date when displaying a value to users or debugging one specific event.

### Common mistakes

- Confusing seconds and milliseconds, which shifts every date by a factor of 1,000.
- Reading a UTC timestamp in your local time zone and misinterpreting the hour.
- Storing a date as a formatted string instead of a timestamp, which breaks sorting and
  comparisons.