What PHP function can be used to convert a Unix time value into a specific date format?

To convert a Unix time value into a specific date format in PHP, you can use the `date()` function. This function allows you to format a Unix timestamp into a human-readable date string according to a specified format. By providing the appropriate format string, you can customize how the date and time are displayed.

$unixTime = 1609459200; // Unix timestamp for January 1, 2021
$date = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $unixTime);
echo $date; // Output: 2021-01-01 00:00:00