Timestamp Converter

Unix timestamps (also called epoch time or POSIX time) represent time as the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC - the Unix epoch. Our converter performs bidirectional conversion: timestamp-to-date and date-to-timestamp. For timestamp-to-date conversion, the algorithm takes the Unix timestamp (an integer), multiplies by 1000 to convert seconds to milliseconds (JavaScript uses milliseconds), creates a Date object, then formats it to human-readable format using locale-aware date formatting or custom format strings (YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss). The converter handles timezone conversion by adjusting the UTC timestamp to the target timezone offset. For date-to-timestamp conversion, the process reverses: parse the input date string into a Date object, call getTime() to get milliseconds since epoch, then divide by 1000 to convert to seconds. The algorithm supports multiple input formats: ISO 8601 (2024-01-15T14:30:00Z), RFC 2822, and custom formats with automatic parsing. Advanced features include: millisecond timestamps (1000x larger, used by JavaScript and some APIs), microsecond timestamps (1,000,000x larger, used by some databases), timezone-aware conversion, and relative time display ("2 days ago"). The converter validates dates (catches February 30th errors) and handles edge cases like leap seconds, DST transitions, and year 2038 problem (32-bit integer overflow at timestamp 2147483647).

1. Database & API Development
Convert database timestamps to readable dates during debugging and vice versa when inserting test data. Most databases store dates as timestamps; developers convert them to verify correctness. API responses often include Unix timestamps; conversion helps validate response data during testing.

2. Log File Analysis & Debugging
Parse log file timestamps to understand event sequences and correlate activities across systems. Server logs, application logs, and system events use timestamps; converting to readable dates makes timeline analysis possible. DevOps teams convert timestamps to troubleshoot issues across timezone-distributed systems.

3. Data Migration & Import/Export
Convert dates to timestamps when migrating between systems with different date storage formats. ETL processes convert human-readable dates to timestamps for database insertion, or convert exported timestamps back to readable formats for reports and spreadsheets.

4. Scheduling & Automation
Calculate Unix timestamps for scheduled tasks, cron jobs, and automation scripts. Convert "next Monday at 9 AM" to a timestamp for task schedulers. Determine timestamps for relative time expressions ("3 days from now") in automation workflows.

5. Security & Authentication
Decode JWT token timestamps (iat, exp), session expiration times, and API token lifetimes. Security teams verify token expiration by converting timestamps to dates. Investigate authentication issues by checking if timestamps are in the past or future.

6. IoT & Embedded Systems
Convert sensor data timestamps from IoT devices to readable dates for monitoring and analysis. Embedded systems record events as timestamps due to storage efficiency; operators convert them for human interpretation and reporting.

• Remember Unix timestamps are in UTC - apply timezone conversion for local time display

• Check if your timestamp is in seconds or milliseconds (10 digits vs 13 digits)

• Use ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD) for unambiguous date input to avoid DD/MM vs MM/DD confusion

• Validate timestamps before 1970 (negative values) and after 2038 (32-bit overflow) carefully

• For precision, use millisecond or microsecond timestamps if your system requires sub-second accuracy

• Consider leap seconds for scientific applications but ignore for most business uses

• Store dates in UTC timestamps in databases, convert to local time only for display

• Use timestamps for date arithmetic (differences, comparisons) rather than parsing date strings