Logs, APIs and databases love storing time as a Unix timestamp — a long number that tells a human nothing at a glance. This converter translates both ways: paste a timestamp and read the exact date and time it represents, or pick a date and get the timestamp your code needs. A live clock at the top always shows the current timestamp ticking.
Seconds, Milliseconds and Time Zones
Most confusion comes from two things. First, units: Unix time is counted in seconds, but JavaScript and many APIs use milliseconds, which makes numbers a thousand times larger — the tool accepts both and labels which one it detected. Second, zones: the same moment renders differently around the world, so results are shown in UTC and in your browser local time together, making it obvious when a five-hour difference is just geography, not a bug. A relative readout — how long ago, or how far ahead — helps when you are scanning logs.
How to Convert a Timestamp
- Copy the current timestamp from the live display if that is what you need.
- Or paste any timestamp into the input and select seconds or milliseconds.
- Read the converted date in UTC and in your local time zone.
- For the reverse, enter a date and time and copy the timestamp produced.
- Use the relative label to sanity-check the result at a glance.
Daily Tasks It Speeds Up
- Reading log files, error reports and audit trails.
- Checking expiry times in tokens, cookies and cache headers.
- Preparing test data with exact timestamps for development.
- Verifying scheduled jobs, cron runs and event times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Unix epoch?
The zero point of Unix time: midnight at the start of 1 January 1970, UTC. Timestamps count the seconds (or milliseconds) since that moment.
How do I know if a number is seconds or milliseconds?
Current timestamps in seconds have 10 digits; in milliseconds, 13. The tool uses the length as a hint and lets you override it.
Does it handle dates before 1970?
Yes, as negative values, and dates far into the future work as well, within the range JavaScript dates support.