What is the date() function in PHP?

The date() function in PHP formats a local date and time.
It returns a string formatted according to the given format.

Basic Syntax:

date(string $format, int $timestamp = time()): string

• $format → How you want your date/time to look.
• $timestamp → (optional) Unix timestamp (seconds since 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC).
  If not given, it uses the current date and time.

Common Date Formats

Examples

1. Display Current Date

echo date("Y-m-d");
// Output: 2025-04-27

2. Display Current Date and Time

echo date("Y-m-d H:i:s");
// Output: 2025-04-27 14:45:10

3. Display Day and Month Name

echo date("l, F jS Y");
// Output: Sunday, April 27th 2025

4. Specific Timestamp Formatting

$timestamp = strtotime("2025-01-01");
echo date("d-m-Y", $timestamp);
// Output: 01-01-2025

5. Custom Time with AM/PM

echo date("h:i A");
// Output: 02:45 PM

Bonus: Setting Timezone

If you want dates based on a specific timezone:

date_default_timezone_set("Asia/Kolkata");
echo date("Y-m-d H:i:s");
// Output (India Time): 2025-04-27 20:15:30