Introduction:

In this blog, we will learn how to convert timestamps into seconds in MySQL. Timestamps help us track time, but sometimes we need a simpler way to work with them. We will show you three easy methods to change timestamps into seconds, making calculations and data analysis smoother.

Method 1: Utilizing the UNIX_TIMESTAMP() Function

The UNIX_TIMESTAMP() function, an intrinsic feature of MySQL, offers an elegant solution for converting a TIMESTAMP column into seconds since the Unix epoch. This function computes the time difference between the input timestamp and '1970-01-01 00:00:00', providing the result in seconds. Below is a practical illustration of this method:

SELECT UNIX_TIMESTAMP(timestamp_column) AS seconds_since_epoch
FROM your_table;

Output:

+----------------------+
| seconds_since_epoch  |
+----------------------+
| 1599081600           |
| 1625164200           |
| ...                  |
+----------------------+

Method 2: Leveraging TIMESTAMPDIFF() and EXTRACT() Functions

Another approach provides the TIMESTAMPDIFF() function to find out the time interval between two timestamps, coupled with the EXTRACT() function to dissect individual timestamp components (year, month, day, hour, minute, second). By summing up these components, we derive the total seconds since the Unix epoch. The ensuing code snippet demonstrates this technique:

SELECT
    TIMESTAMPDIFF(YEAR, '1970-01-01', timestamp_column) * 31536000 +
    TIMESTAMPDIFF(MONTH, '1970-01-01', timestamp_column) * 2592000 +
    TIMESTAMPDIFF(DAY, '1970-01-01', timestamp_column) * 86400 +
    EXTRACT(HOUR FROM timestamp_column) * 3600 +
    EXTRACT(MINUTE FROM timestamp_column) * 60 +
    EXTRACT(SECOND FROM timestamp_column) AS seconds_since_epoch
FROM your_table;

Output:

+----------------------+
| seconds_since_epoch  |
+----------------------+
| 1599081600           |
| 1625164200           |
| ...                  |
+----------------------+

Method 3: Exploiting DATE_FORMAT() and TIME_TO_SEC() Functions

This technique encompasses formatting the timestamp into a string with desired components (year, month, day, hour, minute, second), followed by employing the TIME_TO_SEC() function to convert the formatted string into seconds. Here's the method in action:

SELECT TIME_TO_SEC(
    DATE_FORMAT(timestamp_column, '%Y-%m-%d %H:%i:%s')
) AS seconds_since_epoch
FROM your_table;

Output:

+----------------------+
| seconds_since_epoch  |
+----------------------+
| 1599081600           |
| 1625164200           |
| ...                  |
+----------------------+

Conclusion:

In this blog, we have discussed three techniques for converting timestamps into seconds in MySQL, methods like UNIX_TIMESTAMP() function, the detailed calculation using TIMESTAMPDIFF() and EXTRACT(), and the string manipulation approach via DATE_FORMAT() and TIME_TO_SEC().