What Is a Unix Timestamp?
A Unix timestamp is a numeric value representing the number of seconds that have passed since January 1, 1970 (UTC). It is widely used across operating systems, databases, APIs, and modern software applications due to its simplicity and universal compatibility.
Why Developers Use Unix Time
- Timezone-agnostic format
- Ideal for databases and APIs
- Easy to compare and calculate
- Lightweight integer-based time format
The Unix Epoch
The epoch marks the starting point: 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970. This was chosen because it aligned with early UNIX development and provided a clean reference for representing time mathematically.