Discord timestamps use Unix time in seconds and render in each viewer’s local time and locale. Snowflake IDs encode a creation time in their upper 42 bits, which can be decoded with Discord’s documented epoch and formula. Discord documents fenced code blocks, but the official documentation reviewed does not specify a current ANSI color palette or compatibility across clients.
How Discord dynamic timestamps work
To show a time that adapts to each person viewing a message, use Discord’s timestamp markup. The timestamp value is a Unix timestamp in seconds; Discord renders it using the viewer’s timezone and locale. The underlying instant is shared, while the displayed clock time or date can differ. See Discord’s Message Formatting reference.
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Use either <t:TIMESTAMP> or <t:TIMESTAMP:STYLE>. For example, Discord documents <t:1618953630> and <t:1618953630:d>. The style letter chooses how the instant is displayed:
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| Style | Example in Discord’s reference | Use |
|---|---|---|
t |
16:20 | Short time |
T |
16:20:30 | Time including seconds |
d |
20/04/2021 | Short date |
D |
April 20, 2021 | Long date |
f |
April 20, 2021 at 16:20 | Long date and short time |
F |
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 16:20 | Full date and short time |
s |
20/04/2021, 16:20 | Short date and short time |
S |
20/04/2021, 16:20:30 | Short date and time including seconds |
R |
4 years ago | Relative time |
Choose a compact clock style (t or T) for a start time, a date style (d or D) for a deadline, a date-and-time style for a scheduled event, or R when relative wording is useful. The reference’s examples illustrate formats; exact date order and wording can vary by locale.
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What a Discord Snowflake ID contains
Discord uses the Snowflake format for unique identifiers. A Snowflake is up to 64 bits, and its fields include a timestamp plus internal generation values. Discord’s API Reference defines the layout and extraction formulas:
| Bit positions | Width | Field | Documented interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63–22 | 42 bits | Timestamp | Milliseconds since the Discord epoch; extract with (snowflake >> 22) + 1420070400000. |
| 21–17 | 5 bits | Worker ID | Internal worker value: (snowflake & 0x3E0000) >> 17. |
| 16–12 | 5 bits | Process ID | Internal process value: (snowflake & 0x1F000) >> 12. |
| 11–0 | 12 bits | Increment | Per-process increment: snowflake & 0xFFF. |
The Discord epoch is 1420070400000 milliseconds, corresponding to the first second of 2015. Shifting a Snowflake right by 22 bits removes the generation fields; adding the epoch yields the timestamp in milliseconds. This gives the time encoded in the ID at millisecond resolution, not additional user-facing details about the worker or process.
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Decode an ID safely
Conceptually, the timestamp calculation is:
timestamp_ms = (snowflake >> 22) + 1420070400000Use an integer representation that can preserve the full Snowflake value before shifting it. Discord warns that integer handling can overflow in some languages and says IDs are returned as strings in the HTTP API. Its ID Serialization guidance advises expecting IDs as strings; do not casually convert an API ID to a floating-point number or a narrower integer type.
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Discord also documents the inverse timestamp-based construction: (timestamp_ms - DISCORD_EPOCH) << 22. Here, the input timestamp is in milliseconds and DISCORD_EPOCH is 1420070400000. This formula constructs the timestamp portion; it does not supply the worker, process, or increment information associated with normal ID generation.
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What is established about ANSI colors in Discord code blocks
Discord Support’s Markdown Text 101, last updated April 23, 2025, documents multiline code blocks made by wrapping text in triple backticks. It does not specify an ansi language tag, supported escape sequences, a color palette, or behavior across clients.
A Discord community feature request posted March 14, 2023 reported a limited set of foreground and background colors rather than full RGB escape sequences. That is a user report, not an official renderer specification, and it cannot establish what works in current clients. The reviewed official sources therefore support the basic code-fence syntax, but not a reliable current ANSI color tutorial or compatibility guarantee. Avoid assuming a palette or that colored output will look the same for every recipient.
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