# How to Convert EPOCH Time to Timestamps in PostgreSQL

> In PostgreSQL, to convert the epoch time to a timestamp, pass the EPOCH time as an argument to the TO_TIMESTAMP() function.

The EPOCH time represents the number of seconds elapsed since "1st January 1970 00:00:00" until the present. The EPOCH time shows the DateTime in seconds, which is not easily understandable. To get the EPOCH time in appropriate DateTime representation, it must be converted into a human-readable format. To convert the EPOCH time to timestamp, the TO_TIMESTAMP() function is used in Postgres.

This post presents an in-depth overview of converting the EPOCH time to a timestamp using the TO_TIMESTAMP() function.

 **How to Convert EPOCH Time to Timestamp Using TO_TIMESTAMP()?**

To convert the epoch seconds to appropriate DateTime, pass the EPOCH time as an argument to the TO_TIMESTAMP() function:
    
    
    TO_TIMESTAMP(epoch_time);

The below-provided examples will help you understand epoch-to-timestamp conversion in a better way.

 **Example: Converting EPOCH Time to Timestamp Using TO_TIMESTAMP()**

Let’s pass a specific epoch time to the TO_TIMESTAMP() function to convert it into a timestamp:
    
    
    SELECT TO_TIMESTAMP(1231201120);

The given epoch has been successfully converted into a timestamp. The timestamp is retrieved based on the system’s timezone.

 **How to Convert EPOCH Time to Timestamp With a Specific Timezone?**

Use the “TO_TIMESTAMP()” with the collaboration of the “TIMEZONE()” function to get a converted timestamp in a different timezone:
    
    
    SELECT TIMEZONE('specific_timezone', TO_TIMESTAMP(epoch_time));

 **Example: Converting an EPOCH to Specific Timezone**

The “specific_timezone” parameter must be replaced with one of the Postgres-supported timezones. To get the list of Postgres-supported timezones use the built-in “pg_timezone_names” table, as shown in the following snippet:
    
    
    SELECT * FROM pg_timezone_names;

Suppose we wanted to convert the EPOCH to a timestamp based on the “Africa/Abidjan” time zone. To accomplish this task, we will execute the following command:
    
    
    SELECT TIMEZONE('Africa/Abidjan', TO_TIMESTAMP(1231201120));

The given EPOCH time has been successfully converted into the specified timezone.

 **Conclusion**

The EPOCH time shows the DateTime in seconds, which is not easily understandable. To get the EPOCH time in appropriate DateTime representation, it must be converted into a human-readable format. In Postgres, to convert the epoch time to a timestamp, pass the EPOCH time as an argument to the TO_TIMESTAMP() function. Use the “TO_TIMESTAMP()” with the collaboration of the “TIMEZONE()” function to get a converted timestamp in a different timezone. This post presented a detailed guide on how to convert the EPOCH time to timestamp using the TO_TIMESTAMP() function.

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