How to convert Datetime to Unix timestamp in ColdFusion

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    <cfset dateTime = CreateDateTime(2022, 5, 15, 8, 30, 45)>

    <!-- Convert date to Unix timestamp -->
    <cfset unixTimestamp = DateDiff("s", CreateDateTime(1970, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0), dateTime)>
    
    <cfoutput>
        Unix Timestamp: #unixTimestamp#
    </cfoutput>

Output:

Unix Timestamp = 1652603445

Example only. There may be multiple ways to perform this operation.

Code Explanation

To convert a human-readable date to a Unix timestamp in ColdFusion, the DateDiff() function is used. This function calculates the difference in seconds between two dates.
The Unix timestamp is the number of seconds between a given date and the Unix epoch (January 1, 1970). In the example, the DateDiff("s", CreateDateTime(1970, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0), dateTime) function calculates the difference between '2022-05-15 08:10:45' and '1970-01-01 00:00:00', resulting in the Unix timestamp 1652602245.
This value is then output using the cfoutput tag.

Convert Unix timestamp to Date in Coldfusion

Other useful ColdFusion date functions

Function	Description	Example
`CreateDateTime()`	Creates a `datetime` object from the specified year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.	`CreateDateTime(2022, 5, 15, 8, 30, 45)` returns May 15, 2022 08:10:45
`DateAdd()`	Adds a specified time interval (e.g., days, hours, seconds) to a date or datetime object.	`DateAdd("d", 5, now())` adds 5 days to the current date.
`DateDiff()`	Returns the difference between two dates in the specified interval (e.g., days, hours, seconds).	`DateDiff("s", CreateDateTime(1970, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0), now())` returns the difference in seconds since the Unix epoch.
`Now()`	Returns the current date and time.	`Now()` returns 2024-08-28 12:34:56
`Day()`	Returns the day of the month from a specified date.	`Day(Now())` returns 28 if the current day is the 28th.
`Month()`	Returns the month from a specified date.	`Month(Now())` returns 8 for August.
`Year()`	Returns the year from a specified date.	`Year(Now())` returns 2024.
`TimeFormat()`	Formats a time as a string according to the given mask.	`TimeFormat(Now(), "HH:mm:ss")` returns 12:34:56.
`DateFormat()`	Formats a date as a string according to the given mask.	`DateFormat(Now(), "yyyy-mm-dd")` returns 2024-08-28.
`GetDayOfWeek()`	Returns the day of the week as a number (1=Sunday, 7=Saturday).	`GetDayOfWeek(Now())` returns 4 for Wednesday.
`GetTimeZoneInfo()`	Returns information about the current time zone, including the name and offset from UTC.	`GetTimeZoneInfo()` returns {isDST=true, rawOffset=-300, timezone='America/New_York'}.
`ParseDateTime()`	Converts a string to a datetime object based on the date and time format.	`ParseDateTime("2022-05-15 08:10:45")` returns May 15, 2022 08:10:45.

Current Unix Timestamp SECONDS SINCE JAN 01 1970

Current UTC Time

2025-08-20