Is it better to use DATETIME or UNIX timestamp in MySQL for date calculations in PHP?

When dealing with date calculations in PHP and MySQL, it is generally better to use DATETIME data type in MySQL. DATETIME allows you to store dates and times in a human-readable format, making it easier to work with in queries and calculations. On the other hand, UNIX timestamps are integers representing the number of seconds since the Unix Epoch (January 1, 1970), which can be less intuitive to work with when performing date calculations. 

// Using DATETIME in MySQL for date calculations in PHP
$date = '2022-01-01';
$query = "SELECT * FROM table WHERE date_column >= '$date'";
// Perform any necessary date calculations or manipulations in PHP

Keywords

PHP MySQL DATETIME UNIX timestamp date calculations

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