Unix Timestamp in Python
Python's time.time() returns the current Unix time as a float of seconds, while datetime.fromtimestamp(ts, tz=timezone.utc) converts a timestamp to an aware datetime. Always pass a tz to avoid local-time surprises.
Get & convert epoch time in Python
from datetime import datetime, timezone print(datetime.fromtimestamp(1700000000, tz=timezone.utc)) # 2023-11-14T22:13:20.000Z import time; int(time.time())
Gotcha: datetime.fromtimestamp() without a tz uses local time; use timezone.utc (or datetime.utcfromtimestamp, now deprecated) for UTC.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I get the current Unix timestamp in Python?
- int(time.time()) for seconds. Use time.time_ns() for nanoseconds.
- How do I convert a timestamp to UTC in Python?
- datetime.fromtimestamp(ts, tz=timezone.utc) returns a timezone-aware UTC datetime.