Epoch Converter

The current Unix epoch time is :

Understanding Epoch Time

What is Epoch Time?

Epoch time, also known as Unix time or POSIX time, is a system for representing time as the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Thursday, 1 January 1970 (the Unix epoch). This format does not account for leap seconds and is widely used in computing for timestamping and measuring time differences.

Epoch time is simple and universal, making it ideal for computer systems. It is used in various applications, including logging events, time-stamping records, and synchronizing systems.

How Epoch Time Works

  • Epoch time counts time in seconds.
  • For example, the epoch time for 1 January 2024, 00:00:00 UTC is 1704067200.
  • Negative values represent times before the Unix epoch. For instance, 31 December 1969, 23:59:59 UTC is -1.

Converting Epoch Time

Conversion between epoch time and human-readable date formats depends on the programming language or system being used. Here's a list of common functions in popular programming languages:

Popular Programming Languages and Epoch Time Functions

Python

import time
epoch_time = int(time.time())
from datetime import datetime
readable_time = datetime.utcfromtimestamp(epoch_time).strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')

JavaScript

let epochTime = Date.now();
let date = new Date(epochTime);

Java

long epochTime = System.currentTimeMillis() / 1000;
import java.time.Instant;
import java.time.ZoneId;
import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;
String readableTime = Instant.ofEpochSecond(epochTime)
.atZone(ZoneId.of("UTC"))
.format(DateTimeFormatter.ISO_DATE_TIME);

C

#include <time.h >
time_t epoch_time = time(NULL);
printf("%s", ctime(&epoch_time));

PHP

$epoch_time = time();
$readable_time = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $epoch_time);

Ruby

epoch_time = Time.now.to_i
readable_time = Time.at(epoch_time).utc.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')

Applications of Epoch Time

  • Database Timestamps: To log and track record changes.
  • System Logs: To capture event times across distributed systems.
  • Network Protocols: For time synchronization.
  • API Development: To ensure consistent timestamps in requests and responses.

Epoch time’s simplicity and universality have made it a cornerstone in software development and computer science.