Linux Timestamp Converter: Working with Unix Time in Linux Systems

Linux systems extensively use Unix timestamps for file timestamps, log entries, system events, and more. Understanding how to convert and manipulate these timestamps using Linux command-line tools is essential for system administrators and developers.

Command Line Tools for Timestamp Conversion

Using the ,[object Object], Command

The date command is the primary tool for timestamp conversion in Linux:

Convert Unix Timestamp to Human-Readable Date

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# Convert timestamp to date
date -d @1727280000
# Output: Wed Sep 25 12:00:00 UTC 2024

# Custom format
date -d @1727280000 '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
# Output: 2024-09-25 12:00:00

# ISO 8601 format
date -d @1727280000 --iso-8601=seconds
# Output: 2024-09-25T12:00:00+00:00

Convert Date to Unix Timestamp

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# Convert date to timestamp
date -d "2024-09-25 12:00:00" +%s
# Output: 1727280000

# Current timestamp
date +%s
# Output: Current Unix timestamp

# Specific date formats
date -d "Sep 25, 2024 12:00:00" +%s
date -d "2024-09-25T12:00:00Z" +%s

Calculate Time Differences

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#!/bin/bash
# time_diff.sh

start_time=$1
end_time=$2

if [[ -z "$start_time" || -z "$end_time" ]]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <start_timestamp> <end_timestamp>"
    exit 1
fi

diff=$((end_time - start_time))
time_hours=$((diff / 3600))
time_minutes=$(( (diff % 3600) / 60 ))
time_seconds=$((diff % 60))

echo "Time difference: ${time_hours}h ${time_minutes}m ${time_seconds}s"

Need a graphical interface for timestamp conversion? Try our Unix timestamp converter for quick conversions, or our batch converter for processing multiple timestamps at once!