Question 1

What is a Unix timestamp?

Accepted Answer

A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. It is a single integer that uniquely identifies any moment in time, independent of timezone.

Question 2

How do I know if my timestamp is in seconds or milliseconds?

Accepted Answer

If the timestamp is 10 digits (e.g., 1704067200), it is in seconds. If it is 13 digits (e.g., 1704067200000), it is in milliseconds. JavaScript uses milliseconds by default, while Unix/Linux commands and most databases use seconds. This tool auto-detects the format.

Question 3

How do I get the current Unix timestamp?

Accepted Answer

The live ticker at the top of this tool shows the current Unix timestamp in seconds, updated every second. In JavaScript: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000). In Linux/macOS: date +%s.

Question 4

What is the maximum Unix timestamp?

Accepted Answer

The Year 2038 problem occurs because 32-bit systems store Unix timestamps as a signed 32-bit integer, which overflows at 2,147,483,647 (January 19, 2038). Modern 64-bit systems can store timestamps far beyond the year 292 billion.

Question 5

What date formats can I convert from?

Accepted Answer

This tool accepts ISO 8601 format (2024-01-15T10:30:00Z), RFC 2822 format (Mon, 15 Jan 2024 10:30:00 +0000), and many human-readable formats. When in doubt, use ISO 8601 for reliability.

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