How to Calculate the Time Difference Between Two Dates in Seconds using PHP?

Calculating the Time Difference between Two Dates in Seconds

Calculating the difference between two dates in seconds can be useful in various scenarios. This article aims to provide a clear solution for this task, addressing the challenges faced in previous Stack Overflow discussions.

To determine the time span between two dates, such as "2011-05-12 18:20:20" and "2011-05-13 18:20:20," you can utilize the strtotime() function. This function converts a date and time string into a UNIX timestamp, which is the number of seconds since the UNIX epoch (January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC).

The following PHP code demonstrates how to calculate the difference in seconds:

<code class="php">$timeFirst = strtotime('2011-05-12 18:20:20');
$timeSecond = strtotime('2011-05-13 18:20:20');
$differenceInSeconds = $timeSecond - $timeFirst;</code>

The result stored in $differenceInSeconds represents the time span between the two dates in seconds. For instance, if the first date is May 12, 2011 at 6:20:20 PM and the second date is May 13, 2011 at 6:20:20 PM, the calculation will yield 86400 seconds, equivalent to 24 hours.

Similarly, if the first date is May 13, 2011 at 11:59:20 AM and the second date is May 13, 2011 at 12:00:20 PM, the result will be 60 seconds.

By obtaining the time difference in seconds, you can further convert it into minutes, hours, days, or any other desired time unit.

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