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Generate Random Timestamps in C#

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[ Code Example - Quick Summary ]

Language: C#

What: Generate random Unix timestamps in C# using DateTimeOffset and Random. Covers current time, past/future timestamps, and formatting for .NET testing.

Try it: Use our interactive Timestamps generator or integrate this code into your C# application.

Generate random Unix timestamps in C# using DateTimeOffset and Random. Covers current time, past/future timestamps, and formatting for .NET testing. Looking for other languages? Check our code examples in PHP , JavaScript , Python , Java , C++ , Ruby and Go or use our interactive web generator.

C# Code Example

using System;
using System.Linq;

public class TimestampGenerator
{
    private static readonly Random random = new Random();

    // Generate current Unix timestamp (seconds)
    public static long CurrentTimestamp()
    {
        return DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeSeconds();
    }

    // Generate current Unix timestamp (milliseconds)
    public static long CurrentTimestampMillis()
    {
        return DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeMilliseconds();
    }

    // Generate random timestamp between two dates
    public static long RandomTimestamp(string startDate, string endDate)
    {
        var start = DateTimeOffset.Parse(startDate).ToUnixTimeSeconds();
        var end = DateTimeOffset.Parse(endDate).ToUnixTimeSeconds();
        return (long)(random.NextDouble() * (end - start)) + start;
    }

    // Generate random past timestamp (within N days)
    public static long RandomPastTimestamp(int daysAgo = 365)
    {
        var now = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeSeconds();
        var seconds = daysAgo * 86400L;
        return now - (long)(random.NextDouble() * seconds);
    }

    // Generate random future timestamp (within N days)
    public static long RandomFutureTimestamp(int daysAhead = 365)
    {
        var now = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeSeconds();
        var seconds = daysAhead * 86400L;
        return now + (long)(random.NextDouble() * seconds);
    }

    // Convert timestamp to readable format
    public static string FormatTimestamp(long timestamp)
    {
        return DateTimeOffset.FromUnixTimeSeconds(timestamp)
            .LocalDateTime.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss");
    }

    // Generate multiple random timestamps
    public static long[] GenerateTimestamps(int count = 10, string startDate = "2020-01-01", string endDate = "2024-12-31")
    {
        return Enumerable.Range(0, count)
            .Select(_ => RandomTimestamp(startDate, endDate))
            .ToArray();
    }

    public static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Current: {CurrentTimestamp()}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Random: {RandomTimestamp(\"2023-01-01\", \"2024-12-31\")}");
        var past = RandomPastTimestamp(30);
        Console.WriteLine($"Past: {past} ({FormatTimestamp(past)})");
        var future = RandomFutureTimestamp(30);
        Console.WriteLine($"Future: {future} ({FormatTimestamp(future)})");
        Console.WriteLine($"Batch: {string.Join(\", \", GenerateTimestamps(3))}");
    }
}

[EXPLANATION]

C# DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeSeconds() returns current Unix timestamp. DateTimeOffset includes timezone information. Random.NextDouble() generates float for range calculations. DateTimeOffset.Parse() parses date strings. FromUnixTimeSeconds() converts back to DateTimeOffset. Use ToUnixTimeMilliseconds() for millisecond precision. Always use UTC for timestamp generation.

Expected Output

Current: 1703001234
Random: 1698765432
Past: 1700445678 (2023-11-19 14:27:58)
Future: 1706123456 (2024-01-24 18:10:56)
Batch: 1680123456, 1685432100, 1692345678