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Convert to Epoch Time

Description​

The convert_to_epoch function converts a date string into Unix epoch time (timestamp). It parses the input date string into a datetime object and converts it to the equivalent number of seconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. Optionally, it can handle dates that are already in UTC.

Function Signature:​

def convert_to_epoch(date_string: str, is_already_utc: bool = False):

Parameters​

  • date_string (str): The date string to convert, in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.
  • is_already_utc (bool, default=False): A flag indicating whether the input date is already in UTC. If True, the date is treated as UTC; otherwise, it is assumed to be local time.

Returns​

  • int: The corresponding epoch time (Unix timestamp) as an integer. If the input is invalid, it returns 0.

Example Usage​

epoch_time = convert_to_epoch('2025-04-09 15:30:00', is_already_utc=True)
print(epoch_time)

Notes​

  • The function expects the input date string to follow the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.
  • If the is_already_utc flag is set to True, the function assumes the input date string is in UTC and adjusts the datetime object accordingly.
  • If the date string does not match the expected format, or any error occurs, the function returns 0.

Error Handling​

  • If an exception occurs while parsing the date string or converting it to epoch time, the function silently returns 0 without raising any error.