Understanding Unix Timestamps

Unix timestamp counts seconds (or milliseconds) since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC — the Unix epoch. It is the universal time format in logs, databases, APIs, and blockchain systems.

Seconds vs Milliseconds

10-digit numbers are usually seconds (1704067200 = 2024-01-01). 13-digit numbers are milliseconds (1704067200000). Confusing them produces dates in 1970 or year 50000 — a common debugging mistake.

Timezone Considerations

Unix timestamps are always UTC-based. Display in local time requires timezone conversion. When debugging, compare UTC and local side by side.

WaiHub's Timestamp Converter auto-detects precision and shows UTC, local, and ISO 8601 formats.