time and datetime modules
Convert a Unix timestamp to a date in Python
Python keeps two time APIs: `time` for raw floats and `datetime` for objects. `time.time()` returns a float in seconds; `int()` truncates it to the classic epoch value.
`datetime.fromtimestamp(ts, tz=timezone.utc)` converts a timestamp into a timezone-aware object you can format or serialize with `.isoformat()`.
Current Unix timestamp (seconds)
import time
now_ts = int(time.time())
print(now_ts) # 1,754,136,000Convert epoch seconds → human-readable UTC
from datetime import datetime, timezone
dt = datetime.fromtimestamp(1754136000, tz=timezone.utc)
print(dt.isoformat()) # 2025-08-02T12:00:00+00:00Convert ISO 8601 → epoch seconds
from datetime import datetime
secs = int(datetime.fromisoformat("2025-08-02T12:00:00+00:00").timestamp())
print(secs) # 1754136000Real-world use cases for Python
- Logging timestamps in a Django or Flask backend and converting them to readable dates for admin dashboards.
- Normalizing datetimes scraped from different APIs into a single epoch column for time-series analysis with pandas.
- Storing "valid until" timestamps for cached responses so the cache can expire without keeping timezone state.
| Unix timestamp (seconds) | ISO 8601 (UTC) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z |
| 946,684,800 | 2000-01-01T00:00:00.000Z |
| 1,754,136,000 | 2025-08-02T12:00:00.000Z |
| 2,147,483,647 | 2038-01-19T03:14:07.000Z |
| 2,524,608,000 | 2050-01-01T00:00:00.000Z |
These are the same fixed timestamps used in the Python examples above — every conversion returns one of these values.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get the current Unix timestamp in Python?
import time then int(time.time()) returns the current epoch in seconds. For milliseconds, multiply by 1000. The datetime module can also do it: int(datetime.now(timezone.utc).timestamp()).
How do I convert an epoch timestamp to a date in Python?
Use datetime.fromtimestamp(1754136000, tz=timezone.utc) to get a timezone-aware datetime in UTC, or pass a tzinfo for any IANA timezone. Call .isoformat() to serialize it.
What is the difference between time.time() and datetime.now()?
time.time() returns a raw float of epoch seconds, great for math and storage. datetime.now() returns a datetime object you can format, compare and localize. Convert between them with .timestamp() and datetime.fromtimestamp().
Epoch to human date in Python
Try it live — convert any timestamp in Python-friendly format.
Seconds or milliseconds — the unit is auto-detected. Example: 1735689600
UTC ISO 8601
–
Local — auto
–
RFC 2822 / GMT
–
Seconds value
–
Relative time
–
Other programming languages
Copy-paste epoch conversion snippets in your favorite stack
More timestamp guides
Example values used above: epoch seconds = 1,754,136,000 · ISO 8601 = 2025-08-02T12:00:00.000Z. Curious how the numbers work? See the Unix epoch time FAQ, or view the current epoch time in any timezone.