Unix Timestamps Explained (and Handy Time Tools)

A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds since 1 January 1970 (UTC). It's how computers store time in a simple, timezone-free way.

Why developers use timestamps

• They're easy to compare and sort.
• They avoid timezone confusion (stored in UTC).
• They're compact — just a number.

The catch: a raw timestamp like 1784246400 isn't human-readable, so you often need to convert it.

Week numbers & durations

Businesses often refer to the ISO week number (1–53) for scheduling, and you may need to measure the duration between two times.

Free time tools

Convert timestamps with the Unix Timestamp Converter, find any date's week number, and measure hours between times with the Time Duration Calculator.