What is Epoch / Unix Time?
Unix time (epoch time) is a way of representing a point in time as the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, ignoring leap seconds. It is timezone-independent and easy to compare or store.
Many systems use milliseconds instead of seconds. The classic 32-bit signed representation overflows in 2038 (the "Year 2038 problem"), which is why 64-bit timestamps are now standard.
Key points
- Counts seconds since 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC.
- Timezone-independent, which makes comparisons simple.
- Many systems use milliseconds rather than seconds.
- The 32-bit form overflows in 2038 (the Year 2038 problem).
Example
1700000000 = Tue, 14 Nov 2023 22:13:20 UTC
Common uses
- Storing timestamps in databases
- Comparing and sorting times
- Token expiry (the JWT exp claim)
- Logging and ordering events
Work with Epoch / Unix Time directly in your browser.
Open the Timestamp Converter