Question 1

What is a Unix timestamp?

Accepted Answer

Seconds since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC (the epoch). A universal, timezone-independent time representation. Example: 1700000000 = November 14, 2023.

Question 2

How do I convert a timestamp?

Accepted Answer

Use this tool, or in code: JavaScript new Date(ts * 1000), Python datetime.fromtimestamp(ts). This tool shows multiple formats instantly.

Question 3

What is the Year 2038 problem?

Accepted Answer

32-bit signed integers overflow on January 19, 2038. Most modern systems use 64-bit integers, extending the range to billions of years.

Question 4

What is the difference between Unix time and ISO 8601?

Accepted Answer

Unix timestamps are numeric (1713192000) — compact and timezone-independent. ISO 8601 is string-formatted (2024-04-15T14:00:00Z) — human-readable with explicit timezone info. Unix timestamps are better for storage and computation; ISO 8601 is better for APIs, logs, and display.

Question 5

How do I get the current Unix timestamp?

Accepted Answer

In JavaScript: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000). In Python: import time; int(time.time()). In a terminal: date +%s. In SQL: UNIX_TIMESTAMP() (MySQL) or EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW()) (PostgreSQL).

Question 6

How do I convert a timestamp to a date?

Accepted Answer

Use this tool — paste a Unix timestamp and instantly see the corresponding date and time in multiple formats. In JavaScript, use new Date(timestamp * 1000) (JS uses milliseconds). In Python, use datetime.fromtimestamp(timestamp).

Question 7

How do I handle timestamps with milliseconds versus seconds?

Accepted Answer

Unix timestamps in seconds are 10 digits for any date near today; the same instant in milliseconds is 13 digits. JavaScript's Date constructor expects milliseconds, while most Unix utilities and Python's time.time return seconds. The converter auto-detects which unit you pasted by digit count, but if you are writing code, divide or multiply by 1000 explicitly so the unit is unambiguous in the codebase.

Question 8

Why is my timestamp showing a different time than I expect?

Accepted Answer

Unix timestamps are timezone-agnostic — they count seconds since 1970-01-01 in UTC. When you convert a timestamp to a human-readable date, the displayed time depends on which timezone the converter renders it in. The tool shows both UTC and your local time so the offset is visible. If you need to display a timestamp in a fixed business timezone (say, US Eastern), pass the timezone explicitly in your code rather than relying on the user's locale.

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