The detailed guide below is currently available in English.
What a Unix timestamp measures
A Unix timestamp is simply the number of seconds elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970 — the "epoch" — not counting leap seconds. Because it is a single plain number, it is the standard way programs store points in time: sorting, comparing, and arithmetic all become trivial, and no time zone is embedded in the value. The same instant reads as afternoon in New York and midnight the next day in Tokyo, but the timestamp itself never changes.
Seconds versus milliseconds
Most systems count seconds, which produce ten digits for dates in the current era (1700000000 falls in November 2023). JavaScript and some Java libraries instead use thirteen-digit milliseconds, so a value like 1700000000000 is one thousand times larger. This converter auto-detects the longer form: any timestamp of twelve or more digits is treated as milliseconds and converted. If a converted date lands in January 1970, you are probably looking at the wrong unit.
Deutschland auf einen Blick
Lokale Rahmenwerte für Deutschland, die in Alltagsberechnungen von US-Standardwerten abweichen:
- Mehrwertsteuer: 19 % Regelsatz, 7 % ermäßigt (Lebensmittel, Bücher, Fahrscheine); alle Verbraucherpreise sind Endpreise inkl. MwSt.
- Währung & Zahlen: Euro (€), Dezimalkomma: 1.234,56 €. Metrische Einheiten (cm, kg, Liter) und °C.
- Krankenversicherung: Pflichtversicherung mit 14,6 % Beitragssatz plus Zuschlag (Ø ≈ 2,5 %), hälftig geteilt; private Zusatzversicherung optional.
- Trinkgeld: 5–10 % bzw. Aufrunden ist üblich, aber freiwillig – der Service ist im Preis enthalten.
- Urlaub & Feiertage: Gesetzlicher Mindesturlaub 20 Arbeitstage (5-Tage-Woche); je nach Bundesland 9–13 gesetzliche Feiertage.
Stand: Oktober 2026 · Werte für das Steuer- bzw. Beitragsjahr 2025, Quellen siehe oben.
Häufige Fragen
Do timestamps handle time zones?
By design, no. A timestamp is always relative to UTC, which is why it is unambiguous. The date shown here is the UTC reading; convert to a local zone only when displaying it to people.
Why does my timestamp show a date in 1970?
You are most likely mixing units — a seconds value interpreted as milliseconds gives dates a thousand times earlier. Values of ten digits are seconds; thirteen digits are milliseconds, which this tool converts automatically.
What happens at 2038?
Older 32-bit systems run out of room on January 19, 2038, when the seconds counter overflows. Modern 64-bit systems, including everything that runs this page, are unaffected and good for hundreds of billions of years.