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Common Epoch Values
| Epoch | Date (UTC) | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Jan 1, 1970 00:00:00 | Unix Epoch start |
| 1000000000 | Sep 9, 2001 01:46:40 | Billennium |
| 1234567890 | Feb 13, 2009 23:31:30 | Sequential timestamp |
| 1700000000 | Nov 14, 2023 22:13:20 | Recent milestone |
| 2147483647 | Jan 19, 2038 03:14:07 | Y2K38 problem |
⏱️ Seconds (Standard)
- • 10 digits (until 2286)
- • Used by Unix, Linux, PHP
- • Example:
1701388800
⚡ Milliseconds
- • 13 digits
- • Used by JavaScript, Java
- • Example:
1701388800000
✓ Advantages
- • Timezone independent
- • Easy math (add/subtract seconds)
- • Compact storage (single integer)
- • Universal standard
🛠️ Use Cases
- • Database timestamps
- • API responses
- • Log files
- • Cache expiration
Frequently Asked Questions
What is epoch time?
Epoch time (Unix time) is the number of seconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. It's a universal way to represent time in computing systems, avoiding timezone complexities.
How do I convert epoch to a date?
Use EpochMath's converter: paste your epoch timestamp, and instantly see the human-readable date. Works with both seconds and milliseconds formats.
Why does epoch start in 1970?
Unix was developed in the late 1960s at Bell Labs. The designers chose January 1, 1970, as a convenient recent date that allowed representing dates in both directions with reasonable integer sizes.
What is the Y2K38 problem?
32-bit systems store epoch as a signed integer, maxing out at 2,147,483,647 (January 19, 2038). After this, timestamps overflow. Modern 64-bit systems avoid this issue.
Get Current Epoch in Code
Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)import time; time.time()time()date +%sReady to Convert?
Convert any epoch timestamp to a human-readable date instantly.
Open Epoch Converter