---
name: "ts"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "moreutils"
version: "0.69-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ts"
---

# ts(1)

timestamp input

## NAME

ts - timestamp input

## SYNOPSIS

ts \[-r\] \[-i \| -s\] \[-m\] \[format\]

## DESCRIPTION

ts adds a timestamp to the beginning of each line of input.

The optional format parameter controls how the timestamp is formatted, as used by [**strftime**(3)](/strftime/3.md). The default format is "%b `%d` `%H:`%M:%S". In addition to the regular strftime conversion specifications,  "%.S" and "%.s" and "%.T" are like "%S" and "%s" and "%T", but provide subsecond resolution (ie, "30.00001" and "1301682593.00001" and "1:15:30.00001").

If the -r switch is passed, it instead converts existing timestamps in the input to relative times, such as "15m5s ago". Many common timestamp formats are supported. Note that the Time::Duration and Date::Parse perl modules are required for this mode to work. Currently, converting localized dates is not supported.

If both -r and a format is passed, the existing timestamps are converted to the specified format.

If the -i or -s switch is passed, ts reports incremental timestamps instead of absolute ones. The default format changes to "%H:%M:%S", and "%.S" and "%.s" can be used as well. In case of -i, every timestamp will be the time elapsed since the last timestamp. In case of -s, the time elapsed since start of the program is used.

The -m switch makes the system's monotonic clock be used.

## ENVIRONMENT

The standard TZ environment variable controls what time zone dates are assumed to be in, if a timezone is not specified as part of the date.

## AUTHOR

Copyright 2006 by Joey Hess \<id@joeyh.name\>

Licensed under the GNU GPL.