How to convert Unix timestamp to time in JavaScript ?

In this article, we will see how to convert UNIX timestamps to time.

These are the following approaches:

Using the toUTCString() method

• As JavaScript works in milliseconds, it is necessary to convert the time into milliseconds by multiplying it by 1000 before converting it.
• This value is then given to the Date() function to create a new Date object. The toUTCString() method is used to represent the Date object as a string in the UTC time format.
• The time from this date string can be found by extracting from the 11th to last to the 4th to the last character of the string.
• This is extracted using the slice() function. This string is the time representation of the UNIX timestamp. 

Syntax: 

dateObj = new Date(unixTimestamp * 1000);
utcString = dateObj.toUTCString();
time = utcString.slice(-11, -4);

Example: This example shows the conversion of time.

function convertTimestamptoTime() {

    let unixTimestamp = 10637282;

    // Convert to milliseconds and
    // then create a new Date object
    let dateObj = new Date(unixTimestamp * 1000);
    let utcString = dateObj.toUTCString();

    let time = utcString.slice(-11, -4);

    console.log(time);
}

convertTimestamptoTime();

2:48:02

Getting individual hours, minutes, and seconds

• As JavaScript works in milliseconds, it is necessary to convert the time into milliseconds by multiplying it by 1000 before converting it.
• This value is then given to the Date() function to create a new Date object. Each part of the time is extracted from the Date object.
• The hour's value in UTC is extracted from the date using the getUTCHours() method. The minute's value in UTC is extracted from the date using the getUTCMinutes() method.
• The second's value in UTC is extracted from the date using the getUTCSeconds() method.
• The final formatted date is created by converting each of these values to a string using the toString() method and then padding them with an extra '0', if the value is a single-digit by using the padStart() method.
• The individual parts are then joined together with a colon(:) as the separator. This string is the time representation of the UNIX timestamp. 

Syntax: 

dateObj = new Date(unixTimestamp * 1000);
// Get hours from the timestamp
hours = dateObj.getUTCHours();
// Get minutes part from the timestamp
minutes = dateObj.getUTCMinutes();
// Get seconds part from the timestamp
seconds = dateObj.getUTCSeconds();
formattedTime = hours.toString()
    .padStart(2, '0') + ':' 
    + minutes.toString()
    .padStart(2, '0') + ':' 
    + seconds.toString()
    .padStart(2, '0');

Example: This example shows the conversion of time.

function convertTimestamptoTime() {

    let unixTimestamp = 10637282;

    // Convert to milliseconds and 
    // then create a new Date object
    let dateObj = new Date(unixTimestamp * 1000);

    // Get hours from the timestamp
    let hours = dateObj.getUTCHours();

    // Get minutes part from the timestamp
    let minutes = dateObj.getUTCMinutes();

    // Get seconds part from the timestamp
    let seconds = dateObj.getUTCSeconds();

    let formattedTime = hours.toString().padStart(2, '0') 
        + ':' + minutes.toString().padStart(2, '0') 
        + ':' + seconds.toString().padStart(2, '0');

    console.log(formattedTime);
}

convertTimestamptoTime();

02:48:02

Using Intl.DateTimeFormat Object

The Intl.DateTimeFormat object allows for formatting dates and times according to locale-specific conventions. This method provides a flexible and powerful way to format the time extracted from a UNIX timestamp.

• Convert the UNIX timestamp to milliseconds.
• Create a Date object.
• Use Intl.DateTimeFormat to format the time in the desired locale and options.

Example:

function convertTimestamptoTime() {
    let unixTimestamp = 10637282;

    // Convert to milliseconds and then create a new Date object
    let dateObj = new Date(unixTimestamp * 1000);

    // Create a formatter for the desired locale and options
    let options = {
        hour: '2-digit',
        minute: '2-digit',
        second: '2-digit',
        hour12: false,
        timeZone: 'UTC'
    };
    let formatter = new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-US', options);

    // Format the date object to extract the time
    let formattedTime = formatter.format(dateObj);

    console.log(formattedTime);
}

convertTimestamptoTime();

02:48:02