What is Unix Time? The Year 2038 Problem Explained

If you've ever seen a number like 1733452800, you've seen Unix Time. It's the way computers track time, but it comes with a ticking time bomb.

The Epoch: January 1, 1970

Unix Time is defined as the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC. This moment is called the Unix Epoch. Why 1970? It was chosen arbitrarily by the developers of the Unix operating system as a convenient starting point.

The Year 2038 Problem

Most older systems store Unix Time as a 32-bit signed integer. The maximum value a 32-bit integer can hold is 2,147,483,647.

This corresponds to January 19, 2038, at 03:14:07 UTC. One second later, the counter will overflow and wrap around to -2,147,483,648, which corresponds to December 13, 1901.

This is known as the Year 2038 Problem (or Y2K38), and it could cause computers worldwide to crash or behave unpredictably.

The Solution: 64-bit Systems

Modern 64-bit systems can store a much larger number, pushing the overflow date to 292 billion years in the future. The universe will likely end before 64-bit Unix Time overflows.

How to Convert Unix Time

Need to convert a timestamp to a readable date? Or vice versa? Use our Unix Timestamp Converter to easily switch between human-readable dates and Unix timestamps.

Conclusion

Unix Time is the heartbeat of the internet. While the 2038 problem looms for legacy systems, modern technology has already solved it. Check the current Unix Time with our Unix Timestamp Converter.