Guides/Timezone, UTC, and Unix time
Timezone, UTC, and Unix time
Clocks on the internet are easy to misread. Local time depends on your device timezone; UTC is a shared reference; Unix time is a count of seconds since 1970-01-01 UTC. This guide ties those ideas to the time tools on getwhatismy.com.
Local time and timezone
Local time comes from your device clock and timezone settings. IP-based timezone estimates can differ when you travel or use a VPN. For the clock on your wall, trust the device; for “where does this IP look like,” use network estimates.
See timezone and local time.
UTC
Coordinated Universal Time is the standard reference independent of your local offset. Logs, aviation, and APIs lean on UTC so events stay comparable worldwide. UTC does not observe daylight saving; local offsets move around it.
Open UTC time.
Unix timestamps
Unix time counts seconds (and often milliseconds) since the epoch. It is the same number everywhere at a given instant—timezones only change how you display it. Developers use it in APIs, databases, and tokens.
Copy a live value from Unix timestamp.
Daylight saving
DST changes the local offset for regions that observe it. We detect it by comparing your current offset with the standard offset for your zone. Regions without DST always look “standard.”
Check daylight saving status.
Picking the right tool
Scheduling a call across countries? Think in UTC or include offsets explicitly. Debugging a server log? Unix or UTC. Asking what time it is on your laptop? Local time. Asking whether a VPN moved your IP’s apparent zone? Timezone tool with VPN on vs off.