date_default_timezone_get() function to read default time zone of server

Read the active default timezone

date_default_timezone_get() returns the timezone currently used by PHP date/time functions when no timezone is supplied explicitly.

echo date_default_timezone_get();

Explicit DateTimeZone objects make library/application behavior clearer when code may run under different server settings.

The time zone of the server running the script can be collected by using date_default_timezone_get() function. Sample code

<?php
echo date_default_timezone_get();
?>

PHP uses the timezone set by date_default_timezone_set(), then the date.timezone configuration value; when neither supplies a timezone, the default is UTC. Applications should still choose an explicit timezone when local-time behavior matters.

Example: Getting the Server's Default Time Zone

$timezone = date_default_timezone_get();
echo "The server's default time zone is: " . $timezone;

Example: Setting and Retrieving Time Zone

date_default_timezone_set('Asia/Kolkata');
echo "Current time zone is: " . date_default_timezone_get();

Output

Current time zone is: Asia/Kolkata

List of Supported Timezones at php.net

These examples provide practical use cases for verifying and setting time zones.

Example: Listing All Available Time Zones

$timezones = timezone_identifiers_list();
print_r($timezones);

Or to display as list

$timezones = timezone_identifiers_list();
foreach($timezones as $key=>$value){
	echo "$key : $value".'<br>';
}

Creating a dropdown list for user selection of Timezone
PHP Date Functions date_default_timezone_set() Set the time zone

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author & Instructor at plus2net

I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.

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