The Ultimate Developer Guide to Unix Timestamps & Epoch Time Conversion
In distributed systems, database design, log tracing, and REST/GraphQL APIs, tracking time accurately across worldwide time zones requires a universal baseline. Unix Time (POSIX time or Epoch time) counts the total number of seconds elapsed since Thursday, 1 January 1970 00:00:00 UTC, ignoring leap seconds.
Our Epoch & Unix Timestamp Converter performs all arithmetic, ISO date serialization, and timezone calculations 100% client-side using native browser high-resolution time APIs. No server roundtrips or third-party loggers are ever invoked.
1. Epoch Timestamp Units & Magnitude Comparison
| Precision Unit | Typical Digit Count | Sample Timestamp | Common Technologies / Ecosystems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seconds (s) | 10 digits | 1700000000 |
Linux OS, Python time.time(), PHP, MySQL, Redis |
| Milliseconds (ms) | 13 digits | 1700000000000 |
JavaScript Date.now(), Java System.currentTimeMillis() |
| Microseconds (μs) | 16 digits | 1700000000000000 |
PostgreSQL timestamptz, Go time.Now().UnixMicro() |
| Nanoseconds (ns) | 19 digits | 1700000000000000000 |
Rust SystemTime, Go time.Now().UnixNano(), InfluxDB |
2. Code Snippets: How to Get Current Epoch Time
- JavaScript / Node.js:
Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)(seconds) orDate.now()(ms) - Python:
import time; int(time.time()) - Go:
time.Now().Unix() - PHP:
time() - PostgreSQL:
EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM NOW()); - MySQL:
UNIX_TIMESTAMP();
3. Key Best Practices
Always store database timestamps in UTC or as raw Unix integer timestamps. Format into human-readable local time on the client front-end using Intl or ISO-8601 strings to prevent timezone drift during daylight saving shifts.