Technology & Units
What Is Unix Timestamp?
A Unix timestamp counts the seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970 (UTC) — the standard way computers store points in time.
A Unix timestamp (or epoch time) represents a moment as the number of seconds since 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970. The timestamp 1752710400, for example, decodes to July 17, 2026. Databases, APIs and operating systems use it because a single integer is unambiguous, compact and easy to compare.
Timestamps are timezone-free by design — the same instant everywhere on Earth — and get converted to local time only for display. Many systems now store milliseconds instead of seconds (13 digits instead of 10), a common source of off-by-1000 bugs.