What are the potential pitfalls of using date() function in PHP?

One potential pitfall of using the date() function in PHP is that it may not always return the correct date or time if the server's timezone settings are not configured properly. To ensure accurate date and time calculations, it is recommended to set the correct timezone using the date_default_timezone_set() function before using the date() function.

// Set the timezone to the desired value
date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');

// Get the current date and time
$current_date_time = date('Y-m-d H:i:s');

echo $current_date_time;