Timestamp Converter
Convert between Unix timestamps, ISO 8601, and human-readable dates.
Unix Timestamp
1745423597ISO 8601
2025-04-23T15:53:17.612ZHuman Readable
Relative Time
About Timestamps
Time representation is a critical aspect of software development and system design. Different formats serve different purposes, and understanding them is essential for working with dates and times across systems.
Common Timestamp Formats
Unix Timestamp
A Unix timestamp represents the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 (UTC), not counting leap seconds. It's widely used in Unix and many other operating systems and file formats.
Cons: Not human-readable; doesn't handle time zones directly.
ISO 8601
ISO 8601 is an international standard for representing dates and times. It follows the format YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ, where Z denotes UTC or an offset is specified.
Cons: Less compact than Unix timestamps.
Human-Readable Format
Human-readable formats vary widely depending on locale and convention, but are typically written in a way that is easily understood by people.
Cons: Ambiguous; varies by culture and locale; harder to parse.
Relative Time
Relative time expresses a timestamp in relation to the current time, making it intuitive for users to understand how recent or distant an event is.
in 5 minutes
just now
Cons: Imprecise; constantly changing meaning.
Common Use Cases
- Logs and debugging - Unix timestamps are compact and precise for system logs
- APIs and data exchange - ISO 8601 is standard for cross-system communication
- User interfaces - Human-readable and relative formats improve user experience
- Database storage - Most databases have dedicated timestamp data types
Timezone Considerations
Always consider timezones when working with timestamps. Unix timestamps and ISO 8601 with Z suffix are in UTC. When displaying dates to users, convert to their local timezone for better usability. Different regions have different daylight saving time rules, which adds another layer of complexity when handling timestamps.