Developer

Unix Timestamps: Seconds vs Milliseconds

Epoch time, timezone pitfalls, and converting timestamps in APIs and logs.

Zovaty EditorialJune 5, 20261 min read

Epoch time in production systems

Unix timestamps count seconds (or milliseconds) since 1970-01-01 UTC. They are timezone-free at rest — conversion happens at display time.

Seconds vs milliseconds

| Source | Unit |

|--------|------|

| Linux date +%s | seconds |

| JavaScript Date.now() | milliseconds |

| Some mobile SDKs | milliseconds |

Timezone pitfalls

Store UTC. Convert to local time only in the UI. Never mix implicit local offsets in server logs.

Convert instantly with the Timestamp Converter.

Try it in Zovaty Tools

timestamp converter

Frequently asked questions

Is Unix time in seconds or milliseconds?

Both appear in the wild. JavaScript Date.now() uses milliseconds; many Unix systems use seconds. Always confirm in API docs.

How to Debug Invalid JSON Quickly

Common JSON syntax errors, trailing commas, and validation workflows developers use every day.

1 min read

UUID Best Practices for Distributed Systems

When to use UUID v4 vs v7, collision risk, and database indexing tips for production APIs.

1 min read

Base64 Encoding Explained for Developers

What Base64 is, when to use it, and UTF-8 pitfalls every full-stack team should know.

1 min read

URL Encoding and Percent-Encoding Guide

encodeURIComponent vs encodeURI, query strings, and RFC 3986 basics for web developers.

1 min read

Developer

Unix Timestamps: Seconds vs Milliseconds

Epoch time, timezone pitfalls, and converting timestamps in APIs and logs.

Zovaty EditorialJune 5, 20261 min read

#timestamps #timezone #api

Epoch time in production systems

Unix timestamps count seconds (or milliseconds) since 1970-01-01 UTC. They are timezone-free at rest — conversion happens at display time.

Seconds vs milliseconds

| Source | Unit |

|--------|------|

| Linux date +%s | seconds |

| JavaScript Date.now() | milliseconds |

| Some mobile SDKs | milliseconds |

Timezone pitfalls

Store UTC. Convert to local time only in the UI. Never mix implicit local offsets in server logs.

Convert instantly with the Timestamp Converter.

Try it in Zovaty Tools

timestamp converter

Frequently asked questions

Is Unix time in seconds or milliseconds?

Both appear in the wild. JavaScript Date.now() uses milliseconds; many Unix systems use seconds. Always confirm in API docs.

How to Debug Invalid JSON Quickly

Common JSON syntax errors, trailing commas, and validation workflows developers use every day.

1 min read

UUID Best Practices for Distributed Systems

When to use UUID v4 vs v7, collision risk, and database indexing tips for production APIs.

1 min read

Base64 Encoding Explained for Developers

What Base64 is, when to use it, and UTF-8 pitfalls every full-stack team should know.

1 min read

URL Encoding and Percent-Encoding Guide

encodeURIComponent vs encodeURI, query strings, and RFC 3986 basics for web developers.

1 min read

Epoch time in production systems

Seconds vs milliseconds

Timezone pitfalls

Try it in Zovaty Tools

Frequently asked questions

Is Unix time in seconds or milliseconds?

Related posts

How to Debug Invalid JSON Quickly

UUID Best Practices for Distributed Systems

Base64 Encoding Explained for Developers

URL Encoding and Percent-Encoding Guide

Epoch time in production systems

Seconds vs milliseconds

Timezone pitfalls

Try it in Zovaty Tools

Frequently asked questions

Is Unix time in seconds or milliseconds?

Related posts

How to Debug Invalid JSON Quickly

UUID Best Practices for Distributed Systems

Base64 Encoding Explained for Developers

URL Encoding and Percent-Encoding Guide