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miccho27

Posted on • Edited on • Originally published at rapidapi.com

Convert Unix to ISO 8601 in 1 Line — Free Timestamp Converter API (2026)

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Free Timestamp Converter API - Convert Unix Time, ISO 8601, Human Dates

Time format conversion is tedious. You need Unix timestamps for APIs, ISO 8601 for databases, human-readable dates for UI, timezone handling. Different languages have different date libraries with inconsistent APIs. What if you could convert timestamps via REST API with automatic timezone handling?

The Timestamp Converter API converts between Unix timestamps, ISO 8601 dates, human-readable formats, relative times ("2 hours ago"), and custom formats. Perfect for time calculations, date parsing, API integration, and cross-timezone handling.

Why Use This API?

Time conversion matters:

  • API Integration – Convert timestamps between services
  • Database Storage – Store times in consistent format
  • User Interfaces – Display "2 hours ago" instead of timestamp
  • Time Zone Handling – Convert across timezones automatically
  • Scheduling – Calculate future times, durations
  • Logging – Parse and format log timestamps

Quick Example - cURL 

# Convert current time to multiple formats
curl -X POST "https://timestamp-converter-api.p.rapidapi.com/convert" \
  -H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "X-RapidAPI-Host: timestamp-converter-api.p.rapidapi.com" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"timestamp": 1704067200, "from": "unix", "to": ["iso", "human", "relative"]}'
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Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "input": 1704067200,
  "from": "unix",
  "conversions": {
    "iso": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
    "human": "January 1, 2024 12:00 AM",
    "relative": "2 months ago",
    "unix": 1704067200,
    "milliseconds": 1704067200000
  },
  "timezone": "UTC"
}
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Python Example 

import requests
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

url = "https://timestamp-converter-api.p.rapidapi.com/convert"
headers = {
    "X-RapidAPI-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "X-RapidAPI-Host": "timestamp-converter-api.p.rapidapi.com",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

# Convert API timestamp to user-friendly format
api_response_time = 1704067200  # Unix timestamp from API

payload = {
    "timestamp": api_response_time,
    "from": "unix",
    "to": ["iso", "human", "relative"],
    "timezone": "America/New_York"
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)
data = response.json()

print(f"API returned timestamp: {api_response_time}")
print(f"ISO format: {data['conversions']['iso']}")
print(f"Human format: {data['conversions']['human']}")
print(f"Relative time: {data['conversions']['relative']}")  # "2 hours ago"
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JavaScript / Node.js Example 

const axios = require("axios");

const convertTimestamp = async (timestamp, fromFormat, toFormats, timezone = "UTC") => {
  const response = await axios.post(
    "https://timestamp-converter-api.p.rapidapi.com/convert",
    { timestamp, from: fromFormat, to: toFormats, timezone },
    {
      headers: {
        "X-RapidAPI-Key": process.env.RAPIDAPI_KEY,
        "X-RapidAPI-Host": "timestamp-converter-api.p.rapidapi.com"
      }
    }
  );

  return response.data.conversions;
};

// Display event times in user's timezone
const event = {
  name: "Product Launch",
  time_utc: 1704067200  // January 1, 2024 midnight UTC
};

const formats = await convertTimestamp(
  event.time_utc,
  "unix",
  ["iso", "human", "relative"],
  "America/Los_Angeles"  // User's timezone
);

console.log(`${event.name} is at ${formats.human} (${formats.relative})`);
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Supported Format Conversions

Format Example Use Case
Unix 1704067200 API timestamps, storage
ISO 8601 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z Databases, API specs
Human Readable January 1, 2024 12:00 AM User interfaces
Relative 2 hours ago, in 3 days Social media feeds
Custom 01/01/2024 Specific formats
Milliseconds 1704067200000 JavaScript timestamps

Real-World Use Cases

1. API Response Time Formatting

Convert API timestamps to user-friendly formats.

def get_posts(user_id):
    posts = db.query(f"SELECT * FROM posts WHERE user_id={user_id}")

    for post in posts:
        # Convert Unix timestamp to relative time
        post["created_at_display"] = convert_timestamp(
            post["created_at_unix"],
            from="unix",
            to=["relative"]
        )["conversions"]["relative"]

    return posts
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2. Cross-Timezone Scheduling

Handle scheduling across different timezones.

def schedule_meeting(event_time_utc, attendee_timezones):
    meeting_times = {}

    for tz in attendee_timezones:
        local_time = convert_timestamp(
            event_time_utc,
            from="unix",
            to=["human"],
            timezone=tz
        )
        meeting_times[tz] = local_time["conversions"]["human"]

    return meeting_times  # Each attendee sees their local time
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3. Log File Analysis

Parse and format log timestamps.

def parse_logs(log_file):
    for line in log_file:
        timestamp = extract_timestamp(line)  # Unix timestamp from log

        # Convert to readable format
        readable = convert_timestamp(
            timestamp,
            from="unix",
            to=["iso", "human"]
        )

        yield {
            "timestamp": readable["conversions"]["iso"],
            "display": readable["conversions"]["human"],
            "line": line
        }
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4. Event Reminders & Notifications

Calculate when to send reminders relative to event time.

def send_reminder(event_unix_time, reminder_minutes_before):
    now = time.time()
    reminder_time = event_unix_time - (reminder_minutes_before * 60)

    if now >= reminder_time:
        human_time = convert_timestamp(
            event_unix_time,
            from="unix",
            to=["human"]
        )
        send_notification(f"Reminder: Event at {human_time}")
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5. Database Query Time Ranges

Find records within time ranges.

def get_recent_posts(days_back=7):
    # Convert human date to Unix timestamp for database query
    cutoff_date = datetime.now() - timedelta(days=days_back)
    cutoff_unix = convert_timestamp(
        cutoff_date.isoformat(),
        from="iso",
        to=["unix"]
    )["conversions"]["unix"]

    return db.query(f"SELECT * FROM posts WHERE created_at > {cutoff_unix}")
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6. Countdown Timers

Calculate time remaining until event.

def get_countdown(event_unix_time):
    now_unix = int(time.time())
    seconds_remaining = event_unix_time - now_unix

    if seconds_remaining > 0:
        relative = convert_timestamp(
            event_unix_time,
            from="unix",
            to=["relative"]
        )["conversions"]["relative"]
        return f"Starts {relative}"
    else:
        return "Event started"
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Pricing

Plan Cost Requests/Month Best For
Free $0 500 Testing, development
Pro $5.99 50,000 Production APIs
Ultra $14.99 500,000 High-volume applications

Related APIs

  • Random Data API – Generate random timestamps
  • Text Analysis API – Parse text timestamps
  • String Utilities API – Format dates as strings
  • Hash Generator API – Hash timestamps for caching

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Working with timezones? Share your scheduling challenges in the comments!

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