What are the limitations of using string comparisons for date ranges in PHP?

When using string comparisons for date ranges in PHP, the main limitation is that it may not work correctly when comparing dates that are formatted differently or when dealing with date ranges that span across different months or years. To solve this issue, it is recommended to convert the date strings into DateTime objects and then compare them using the DateTime methods provided by PHP.

$date1 = new DateTime('2021-01-01');
$date2 = new DateTime('2021-12-31');

if ($date1 < $date2) {
    echo "Date 1 is before Date 2";
} else {
    echo "Date 2 is before Date 1";
}