What are the potential issues with using date() function to calculate time differences in PHP?

Using the date() function to calculate time differences in PHP can lead to inaccuracies, especially when dealing with time zones or daylight saving time changes. To accurately calculate time differences, it is recommended to use the DateTime class along with the diff() method, which takes into account time zones and daylight saving time. 

$date1 = new DateTime('2022-01-01 12:00:00', new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
$date2 = new DateTime('2022-01-02 12:00:00', new DateTimeZone('UTC'));

$interval = $date1->diff($date2);

echo $interval->format('%R%a days %H hours %I minutes');

Keywords

date function time differences PHP timestamp timezone

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