Epoch Time Explained: Unix Epoch and Why 1970
The origin of Unix epoch time: why 1970-01-01, how POSIX defines it, the 2038 problem, and how modern systems handle 64-bit timestamps.
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Tags: developer-tools, timestamps, epoch
Epoch Time Explained: What Is Unix Epoch and Why January 1, 1970? If you have ever looked at a Unix timestamp and wondered why maps to January 1, 1970 at midnight UTC, you are not alone. The choice was not arbitrary — it was a pragmatic decision made by the team that built Unix. This article explains the history, the reasoning, and how the Unix epoch compares to the other time reference points you will encounter as a developer. --- What Is an Epoch? An epoch is a fixed reference point from which time is measured. It is the answer to "measured from when?" Every time system needs one. A clock counts seconds, but seconds since what? An epoch makes that concrete. Once you define an epoch, any point in time can be expressed as a single number — positive for moments after the epoch, negative…
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