Unix timestamps explained — converting, formatting, and avoiding the common mistakes

📰 Dev.to · William Andrews

Master Unix timestamps by learning conversion, formatting, and avoiding common mistakes in JavaScript, Python, SQL, and command line

intermediate Published 11 May 2026
Action Steps
  1. Convert a Unix timestamp to a human-readable date using JavaScript's Date() function
  2. Format a Unix timestamp in Python using the datetime module
  3. Run a SQL query to convert a Unix timestamp to a datetime object
  4. Use the command line to convert a Unix timestamp to a human-readable date using the date command
  5. Avoid the milliseconds vs seconds trap by ensuring correct unit conversion
Who Needs to Know This

Developers, data scientists, and DevOps engineers can benefit from understanding Unix timestamps to work efficiently with date and time data in various programming languages and systems

Key Insight

💡 Unix timestamps are widely used, but conversions and timezones can be tricky - ensure correct unit conversion and consider timezone gotchas

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🕰️ Master Unix timestamps! Learn conversion, formatting, and common mistakes to avoid in JavaScript, Python, SQL, and command line 💻

Key Takeaways

Master Unix timestamps by learning conversion, formatting, and avoiding common mistakes in JavaScript, Python, SQL, and command line

Full Article

What Unix timestamps actually are, how to convert them in JavaScript, Python, SQL, and the command line, the milliseconds vs seconds trap, timezone gotchas, and the Y2K38 problem.
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