What are the potential pitfalls of using string-based date comparisons in PHP, and how can they be resolved?

Using string-based date comparisons in PHP can lead to unexpected results due to differences in date formats, timezones, and localization settings. To resolve this, it's recommended to convert the dates to Unix timestamps or DateTime objects before comparison. This ensures that the dates are in a standardized format and timezone, making the comparison accurate and reliable.

$date1 = strtotime('2022-01-01');
$date2 = strtotime('2022-01-15');

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