Calendars and time
Unix Time
Direct answer
Unix Time is a computing convention that represents instants as a count of seconds from 1970 January 1 00:00:00 UTC under POSIX-style rules.
Unix Time counts computer-system seconds from the 1970 UTC epoch.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Related
- GPS Time, Modified Julian Date, Calendar, Julian Date
Unix Time counts computer-system seconds from the 1970 UTC epoch.
A cycle or timeline schematic for comparing the named timekeeping concept.
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The story behind Unix Time
Unix adopted a simple epoch counter as operating systems needed compact machine-readable time.
Why Unix Time matters
Unix Time provides sortable numeric timestamps, but leap-second handling and range limits vary among systems.
How to read Unix Time
Unix Time speaks to software interchange only after specifying seconds, milliseconds, or another unit and the platform convention.
Unix Time in practice: an example
A web API may send thirteen digits because it stores milliseconds since the Unix epoch rather than seconds.
Where readings of Unix Time go wrong
It is a mistake to assume Unix Time is a physical continuous atomic scale or that every implementation represents leap seconds identically.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- NIST: UTC(NIST) Time Scale - Official description of UTC realization, atomic time, and leap-second coordination.
- ISO: ISO 8601 Date and Time Format - Standards-body overview of unambiguous international date and time representations.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Inspect the epoch and unit
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More in Calendars & Timekeeping
- Astronomical Day
- Callippic Cycle
- Draconic Month
- Geocentric Coordinate Time
- International Atomic Time
- Local Mean Solar Time
- Ordinal Date
- Sidereal Year
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Common questions
What is Unix Time?
Unix Time is a computing convention that represents instants as a count of seconds from 1970 January 1 00:00:00 UTC under POSIX-style rules.
What do people get wrong about Unix Time?
It is a mistake to assume Unix Time is a physical continuous atomic scale or that every implementation represents leap seconds identically.
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