Are there best practices for accurately comparing dates in PHP, especially when using functions like NOW()?

When comparing dates in PHP, especially when using functions like NOW(), it's important to ensure that the dates are in the same format and timezone for accurate comparisons. One way to do this is by using the DateTime class to create DateTime objects for the dates you want to compare. This allows you to easily compare the dates using comparison operators like greater than (>), less than (<), or equal to (==).

$date1 = new DateTime('2022-01-01');
$date2 = new DateTime('NOW');

if ($date1 > $date2) {
    echo "Date 1 is greater than Date 2";
} elseif ($date1 < $date2) {
    echo "Date 1 is less than Date 2";
} else {
    echo "Date 1 is equal to Date 2";
}