---
title: "Time formats | Grafana Plugins documentation"
description: "Configure timestamp parsing and time formats for the Infinity data source columns."
---

# Time formats

When working with time-based data, you need to tell the Infinity data source how to parse timestamp values from your data. The parsing method depends on which parser you’re using.

## Column types for time data

When defining columns, you can choose from three time-related types:

Expand table

| Column type    | Description                | Use when                                                      |
|----------------|----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| Time           | Standard date/time parsing | Your data uses readable date formats (ISO 8601, RFC formats)  |
| Time (UNIX ms) | Unix epoch in milliseconds | Your data uses millisecond timestamps (e.g., `1262304000000`) |
| Time (UNIX s)  | Unix epoch in seconds      | Your data uses second timestamps (e.g., `1262304000`)         |

## Frontend parser time formats

When using the Frontend parser, timestamp fields are parsed using JavaScript’s built-in `Date` constructor. The following formats are automatically recognized:

text ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```text
2017
2017-02
2017-03
2017/04
2017/05/23
2017-06-25T12:10:00Z
July 12, 2017 03:24:00
2017/08/23 10:30
2017/09/23 10:30:20
2017-10-23 10:30:20
Thu Nov 23 2017 10:30:20 GMT+0000 (Greenwich Mean Time)
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 10:30:20 GMT
01/29/2018
```

For more details on supported formats, refer to the [MDN Date documentation](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date/Date).

## Backend parser time formats

When using the Backend parser (JSONata or JQ), you can specify a custom time format using Go’s time layout syntax. Select from predefined formats or enter a custom format.

### Predefined formats

The following formats are available in the Time Format drop-down:

Expand table

| Label               | Format pattern                        |
|---------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Auto                | (automatic detection)                 |
| Default ISO         | `2006-01-02T15:04:05Z07:00`           |
| YYYY-MM-DD          | `2006-01-02`                          |
| YYYY/MM/DD          | `2006/01/02`                          |
| YYYY / MM / DD      | `2006 / 01 / 02`                      |
| YYYYMMDD            | `20060102`                            |
| YYYY-MM             | `2006-01`                             |
| YYYY/MM             | `2006/01`                             |
| YYYYMM              | `200601`                              |
| YYYY                | `2006`                                |
| YYYY/MM/DD HH:mm    | `2006/01/02 15:04`                    |
| YYYY/MM/DD HH:mm:ss | `2006/01/02 15:04:05`                 |
| ANSIC               | `Mon Jan _2 15:04:05 2006`            |
| UnixDate            | `Mon Jan _2 15:04:05 MST 2006`        |
| RubyDate            | `Mon Jan 02 15:04:05 -0700 2006`      |
| RFC822              | `02 Jan 06 15:04 MST`                 |
| RFC822Z             | `02 Jan 06 15:04 -0700`               |
| RFC850              | `Monday, 02-Jan-06 15:04:05 MST`      |
| RFC1123             | `Mon, 02 Jan 2006 15:04:05 MST`       |
| RFC1123Z            | `Mon, 02 Jan 2006 15:04:05 -0700`     |
| RFC3339             | `2006-01-02T15:04:05Z07:00`           |
| RFC3339Nano         | `2006-01-02T15:04:05.999999999Z07:00` |
| Kitchen             | `3:04PM`                              |
| Stamp               | `Jan _2 15:04:05`                     |

### Custom formats

You can enter a custom format pattern using Go’s reference time layout. The reference time is:

text ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```text
Mon Jan 2 15:04:05 MST 2006
```

Each component maps to a specific value:

Expand table

| Component  | Reference value  | Description                     |
|------------|------------------|---------------------------------|
| Year       | `2006`           | Four-digit year                 |
| Month      | `01` or `Jan`    | Numeric or abbreviated          |
| Day        | `02` or `_2`     | Zero-padded or space-padded     |
| Hour (24h) | `15`             | 24-hour format                  |
| Hour (12h) | `03`             | 12-hour format                  |
| Minute     | `04`             | Minutes                         |
| Second     | `05`             | Seconds                         |
| AM/PM      | `PM`             | AM/PM indicator                 |
| Timezone   | `MST` or `-0700` | Timezone abbreviation or offset |

**Example custom formats:**

- `02/01/2006` — DD/MM/YYYY (European format)
- `01-02-2006 03:04 PM` — MM-DD-YYYY with 12-hour time
- `2006.01.02` — YYYY.MM.DD with dots

## Unix epoch timestamps

For data that uses Unix epoch timestamps, select the appropriate column type:

### Milliseconds (UNIX ms)

For timestamps in milliseconds since January 1, 1970:

csv ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```csv
timestamp,value
1262304000000,200
1293840000000,201
```

Select **Time (UNIX ms)** as the column type.

### Seconds (UNIX s)

For timestamps in seconds since January 1, 1970:

csv ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```csv
timestamp,value
1262304000,200
1293840000,201
```

Select **Time (UNIX s)** as the column type.

## Troubleshoot time parsing

If your timestamps aren’t parsing correctly:

1. **Check the column type** — Ensure you’ve selected the correct type (Time, UNIX ms, or UNIX s)
2. **Verify the format** — For backend parser, ensure your format pattern matches your data exactly
3. **Test with Auto** — Try the Auto format option first to see if automatic detection works
4. **Check for quotes** — Some CSV data may have quoted date strings that need special handling
5. **Timezone issues** — If times appear shifted, check that your format includes timezone information