When should PHP be used instead of JavaScript for implementing a countdown timer?

PHP should be used instead of JavaScript for implementing a countdown timer when you want the timer to be based on server time rather than client time. This ensures that the countdown remains accurate even if the user's device time is incorrect or if they try to manipulate it. To implement this, you can use PHP to calculate the time remaining until a specific future date and then pass this information to the client-side for display.

<?php
$future_date = strtotime('2023-01-01 00:00:00');
$current_date = time();
$remaining_time = $future_date - $current_date;

echo $remaining_time;
?>