PHP | date_default_timezone_get() Function

The date_default_timezone_get() function is an inbuilt function in PHP which is used to gets the default timezone used by all date/time functions in a script.

Syntax:

string date_default_timezone_get( void )

Parameter: This function does not accept any parameter.
Return Value: This function returns a string.

Note: This function returns the default timezone by:

Reading the timezone using the date_default_timezone_set() function.
Before PHP 5.4.0, Reading the TZ environment variable.
Reading the value of the date.timezone ini option
Before PHP 5.4.0, Querying the host operating system (if supported and allowed by the OS). This uses an algorithm that has to guess the timezone.

If any statement of the above is not true then date_default_timezone_get() will return a default timezone of UTC.
Below programs illustrate the date_default_timezone_get() function in PHP:

Program 1:

PHP

<?php
 
// Set the default timezone

date_default_timezone_set('Asia/Kolkata');
 
// Create timezone object

$timezone_object = date_default_timezone_get();
 
// If timezone object is true 

if ($timezone_object) {

    echo 'date_default_timezone_set: ' . date_default_timezone_get();
}
?>

Output:

date_default_timezone_set: Asia/Kolkata

Program 2:

PHP

<?php
 
// Set the default timezone

date_default_timezone_set('Asia/Kolkata');
 
echo date_default_timezone_get() . ' => ' . date('e') . ' => ' . date('T');
?>