Epoch Converter
Convert epoch/Unix timestamps to ISO 8601, RFC 2822, UTC, local time, and more. Auto-detects seconds, milliseconds, and microseconds. Live current epoch display.
Current Time in All Formats
| Format | Value |
|---|---|
| Unix (seconds) | 1788656087 |
| Unix (milliseconds) | 1788656087130 |
| ISO 8601 | 2026-09-06T00:54:47.130Z |
| RFC 2822 | Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:54:47 GMT |
| Local Date | Sunday, September 6, 2026 |
| Local Time | 12:54:47 AM |
| Day of Year | 249 |
| Week Number | 36 |
| Leap Year | No |
What is Epoch Converter?
An epoch converter is a comprehensive timestamp tool that translates Unix epoch values (the number of seconds or milliseconds since January 1, 1970 UTC) into every common date format — ISO 8601, RFC 2822, UTC, local time, relative time ('3 hours ago'), day of year, and week number. It also converts dates back to epoch format in seconds, milliseconds, and microseconds. Epoch timestamps appear everywhere in programming: database records, API responses, log files, JWT tokens, and system events. This tool decodes them all instantly.
How It Works
Enter an epoch timestamp and the tool auto-detects its precision: 10 digits = seconds, 13 digits = milliseconds, 16+ digits = microseconds. It converts to a Date object and formats it in every useful representation simultaneously. Each format has a copy button for quick use. In reverse mode, select a date/time and get the corresponding epoch value in all three precisions. A live display shows the current epoch updating every second, useful as a quick reference when writing code that generates or consumes timestamps.
Common Use Cases
- •Decoding timestamps from API responses, database records, and log files into readable dates
- •Converting specific dates to epoch format for use in API queries and database filters
- •Debugging JWT token expiration (exp claim) and issued-at (iat) times
- •Setting cookie expiration, cache TTLs, and scheduler intervals using epoch values
- •Comparing timestamps from different systems that use different precision (seconds vs milliseconds)
- •Creating test data with specific timestamps for automated testing and fixture generation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is epoch time?▼
Epoch (or Unix) time is the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC. It's widely used in programming and databases.
What's the difference between seconds, milliseconds, and microseconds?▼
Seconds are 10 digits (e.g., 1700000000), milliseconds are 13 digits (e.g., 1700000000000), and microseconds are 16 digits. This tool auto-detects all three.
What formats does this tool output?▼
ISO 8601, RFC 2822, UTC, local time, relative time (e.g., '3 hours ago'), day of year, week number, and more.
Why is 1 January 1970 the epoch?▼
It was chosen as a convenient recent date when Unix time was designed in the early 1970s, and it stuck. It is an arbitrary reference point rather than a meaningful one, and other systems use different epochs — Windows file times count from 1601 and classic Mac OS used 1904.
Can a timestamp be negative?▼
Yes. A negative value is a date before 1970, so −86400 is 31 December 1969. Some libraries and databases reject or mishandle negative timestamps, which is why historical dates are often better stored as an ISO 8601 date string.
What is ISO 8601 and why is it preferred for storing dates as text?▼
It is the international standard format, `2024-01-15T14:30:00Z`, with the largest unit first. It sorts correctly as plain text, is unambiguous about the timezone thanks to the offset or trailing Z, and avoids the day/month order confusion that makes formats like 01/02/2024 unreadable across regions.
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