What is the Unix epoch? Why computers count seconds from January 1, 1970
Unix timestamps are the simplest way to store and compare points in time across systems. They're timezone-agnostic, monotonically increasing (except for leap seconds), and supported by every programming language and database. Store times as Unix timestamps, display them in the user's local timezone.
Timestamp 0 in Unix time is 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970, the Unix epoch. Every Unix timestamp is the number of seconds that have elapsed since that moment, not counting leap seconds. It's a beautifully simple system: one integer represents any point in time, timezone-independent, sortable, and mathematically trivial to compare.
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How this is calculated
The epoch was chosen pragmatically by Unix engineers at Bell Labs in the early 1970s. They needed a round number that was recent enough to keep timestamps small (fitting in a 32-bit signed integer) but far enough in the past to represent dates before the system was written. January 1, 1970, was convenient. The 32-bit signed integer limit (2,147,483,647 seconds) will overflow on January 19, 2038, the Year 2038 problem, which is why modern systems use 64-bit timestamps.
Verdict
Unix timestamps are the simplest way to store and compare points in time across systems. They're timezone-agnostic, monotonically increasing (except for leap seconds), and supported by every programming language and database. Store times as Unix timestamps, display them in the user's local timezone.
More Timestamp scenarios
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Unix epoch January 1, 1970?
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