How can PHP developers ensure clean code practices when handling date formats in APIs?

When handling date formats in APIs, PHP developers can ensure clean code practices by using the DateTime class to parse and format dates consistently. This helps to avoid issues with different date formats and ensures that dates are handled correctly across different API endpoints.

// Example code snippet using DateTime class to handle date formats in APIs

$dateString = "2022-01-01";
$date = DateTime::createFromFormat('Y-m-d', $dateString);
$formattedDate = $date->format('Y-m-d');

echo $formattedDate;