What is the easiest way to get a Unix timestamp in C?
Call time(NULL) from time.h. It returns epoch seconds and works across common C runtimes.
C Unix Timestamp in 2026
The query c unix timestamp usually means you need a reliable epoch integer for event pipelines, request signing, or datastore writes. In 2026, the safest approach is still to generate timestamps as UTC integers in C and convert them to readable dates only at the display layer.
Keep units explicit across services. Ten digits are seconds, while thirteen digits are milliseconds. Most integration bugs happen when one service sends seconds and another assumes milliseconds.
C examples you can copy
Epoch seconds
#include <time.h> time_t epoch_seconds = time(NULL);
Epoch milliseconds
#include <time.h> struct timespec ts; clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &ts); long long epoch_ms = (long long)ts.tv_sec * 1000LL + ts.tv_nsec / 1000000LL;
Related pages on EpochConverter
For deeper language notes, open Unix timestamp in C. For adjacent search intent, see C get Unix time (2026) and C get Unix timestamp (2026).
Need to decode an integer instantly? Use Unix timestamp to date or return to the main epoch converter tool.
Related developer tool
If your timestamp logic powers scheduled jobs, validate cron syntax with Cron Expression Builder.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get Unix milliseconds in C?
Use clock_gettime and combine tv_sec and tv_nsec into a 64-bit integer: seconds * 1000 plus nanoseconds divided by 1,000,000.
Should I store seconds or milliseconds?
Use seconds when your API contract expects 10-digit values. Use milliseconds only when you need higher precision and all services agree on 13-digit values.
Why are C timestamps often off by timezone?
The epoch value is timezone-agnostic. Display errors usually happen when values are rendered with local timezone assumptions instead of UTC.