2 Methods to Get Current Unix Timestamp on Linux

Unix timestamp is the number of seconds that have elapsed since the Unix Epoch (January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC). It serves as a universal timekeeping standard and is commonly used in various programming applications, system logging, and data exchange. On Linux systems, obtaining the current Unix timestamp is a straightforward process that can be achieved using various methods. This tutorial provides 2 methods how to get the current Unix timestamp on Linux.

Method 1 - date command

The simplest and most common way to obtain the current Unix timestamp on a Linux system is by using the date command.

date +%s

The %s format specifier instructs the date command to display the timestamp in seconds since the epoch.

Output example:

1689729935

Method 2 - EPOCHSECONDS variable

In the Linux environment, the EPOCHSECONDS variable is a convenient feature that allows to access the current Unix timestamp directly without using external commands.

echo $EPOCHSECONDS