Swift – Convert Timestamp to Human-readable Format

In this tutorial, we will learn how to convert a timestamp to a human-readable format in Swift. We will use the Date and DateFormatter classes to achieve this, along with practical examples for formatting the converted date.

What is a Timestamp?

A timestamp is a numeric representation of a specific point in time, typically measured in seconds or milliseconds since January 1, 1970 (known as the Unix epoch). Timestamps are widely used in programming for date and time manipulation.

For example:

  • The timestamp 1698316800 represents 2023-10-26 10:40:00 +0000.
  • The timestamp 0 represents 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC.

To make timestamps more user-friendly, we convert them into a human-readable format.

Steps to Convert Timestamp to Human-readable Format

  1. Convert the timestamp into a Date object.
  2. Use the DateFormatter class to format the Date object into a human-readable string.

Let’s implement these steps in Swift.

Convert Timestamp to Date

To convert a timestamp into a Date object, initialize a Date with the timestamp in seconds. For example:

main.swift

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import Foundation

let timestamp: TimeInterval = 1698316800
let date = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: timestamp)
print("Date: \(date)")

In this example, the timestamp 1698316800 is converted into a Date object representing 2023-10-26 10:40:00 +0000.

Output

Date: 2023-10-26 10:40:00 +0000
Program ended with exit code: 0
Swift Program to Convert Timestamp to Human-readable Format