Introduction:

Unix timestamps, also known as POSIX timestamps, are widely used to represent dates and times as a single numeric value. These timestamps are the number of seconds that have elapsed since the Unix epoch (January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC). In this blog, we will explore the process of converting Unix timestamps to human-readable dates using PHP. 

Method 1: Using the date() Function

One of the simplest and most straightforward methods to convert a Unix timestamp to a date is by utilizing PHP's built-in date() function. This function formats a local date and time based on a specified format string. Let's take a look at a code snippet that demonstrates this method:

$timestamp = 1628522400; // Replace with your Unix timestamp
$date = date("Y-m-d H:i:s", $timestamp);
echo "Converted date: $date";

Output:

Converted date: 2021-08-09 12:00:00

In this method, we provide the Unix timestamp as the second argument to the date() function, and the first argument specifies the desired format for the output date. The format string "Y-m-d H:i:s" represents the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second components of the date.

Method 2: Using the DateTime Class

Another powerful way to handle date and time conversions in PHP is by utilizing the DateTime class. This class provides a more object-oriented approach and offers flexibility in manipulating and formatting dates. Here's an example of how to convert a Unix timestamp using the DateTime class:

$timestamp = 1628522400; // Replace with your Unix timestamp
$dateTime = new DateTime("@$timestamp");
$formattedDate = $dateTime->format("Y-m-d H:i:s");
echo "Converted date: $formattedDate";

Output:

Converted date: 2021-08-09 12:00:00

In this method, we create a new DateTime object by passing the Unix timestamp prefixed with "@" to the constructor. This approach directly associates the timestamp with the DateTime object. We then use the format() method to specify the desired output format for the date.

Method 3: Using date_create() and date_format()

For those who prefer a procedural style, PHP offers the date_create() function to create a DateTime object and date_format() function to format the date. Here's an example:

$timestamp = 1628522400; // Replace with your Unix timestamp
$dateTime = date_create("@$timestamp");
$formattedDate = date_format($dateTime, "Y-m-d H:i:s");
echo "Converted date: $formattedDate";

Output:

Converted date: 2021-08-09 12:00:00

In this method, we use date_create() to create a DateTime object and pass the Unix timestamp as an argument. Then, we use date_format() to format the date based on the desired format.

Conclusion:

In this blog, we explored three methods for achieving this conversion in PHP: using the date() function, the DateTime class, and a combination of date_create() and date_format().