Convert PHP Timestamp to Date

How to convert Unix timestamps to formatted dates in PHP and avoid seconds versus milliseconds bugs.

A Unix timestamp is a number representing seconds since the Unix epoch. PHP date functions can format it directly.

Code examples

$timestamp = 1719820800;

echo date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $timestamp);

With DateTimeImmutable:

$date = (new DateTimeImmutable())->setTimestamp($timestamp);
echo $date->format('c');

JavaScript timestamps are milliseconds. PHP timestamps are usually seconds. Mixing them is the most common conversion bug.

Are PHP timestamps in seconds?

Yes, normal Unix timestamps in PHP are seconds.

How do I convert JavaScript timestamps for PHP?

Divide JavaScript millisecond timestamps by 1000 before using them as PHP timestamps.

Convert Unix timestamps to UTC, local time, and PHP date examples.

Preview common PHP date format tokens against the current time or a supplied timestamp.

Common PHP date format tokens with examples for dates, times, and timestamps.