PHP Date & Time

In this page:

Getting the Current Date and Time
Creating Timestamps from Strings
Working with the DateTime Class
Modifying Dates
Timezones in PHP

Getting the Current Date and Time

The date() function formats the current time (or any Unix timestamp you pass it) according to a format string of letter codes, so date(Y-m-d) gives you a sortable ISO-style date instantly.

Example: Getting the Current Date and Time

php

<?php
echo date('Y-m-d');
?>

Creating Timestamps from Strings

strtotime() parses everyday English phrases like 'next Monday' or '+3 days' into a Unix timestamp, which is remarkably flexible for turning user-typed dates into something PHP can calculate with.

Example: Creating Timestamps from Strings

php

<?php
$timestamp = strtotime("+3 days");
echo date('Y-m-d', $timestamp);
?>

Working with the DateTime Class

The DateTime class wraps date handling in an object-oriented API that correctly accounts for tricky edge cases like leap years and daylight-saving shifts, which manual timestamp math tends to get wrong.

Example: Working with the DateTime Class

php

<?php
$date = new DateTime('2024-02-29');
echo $date->format('Y-m-d');
?>

Modifying Dates

DateTime's modify() method and the separate DateInterval class both let you shift a date forward or backward by a readable amount (like '+1 month'), which is far less error-prone than adding raw seconds.

Example: Modifying Dates

php

<?php
$date = new DateTime('2024-01-01');
$date->modify('+1 month');
echo $date->format('Y-m-d');
?>

Timezones in PHP

date_default_timezone_set() fixes the timezone your whole script assumes when it isn't told otherwise; without it, PHP falls back to a server default that may not match your users' expectations.

Example: Timezones in PHP

php

<?php
date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');
echo date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
?>

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