How to Use the microtime() Function to Get High-Precision Timestamps? Learn Techniques for Accurate Time Tracking in PHP

gitbox 2025-09-08

<span class="hljs-meta"><?php
// This part is unrelated to the article content and can be any PHP code
echo "Initializing program...\n";
$start = microtime(true);
for ($i = 0; $i < 1000; $i++) {
    $a = $i * $i;
}
$end = microtime(true);
echo "Initialization complete, time used: " . ($end - $start) . " seconds\n";
>?>
<hr>
<h1>How to Use the <span class="hljs-title function_ invoke__">microtime() Function to Get High-Precision Timestamps? Learn Techniques for Accurate Time Tracking in PHP</h1>
<p>When developing PHP applications, sometimes we need to accurately track program execution time, especially for performance tuning, logging, or generating unique identifiers. PHP provides the <code>microtime()

The output looks like:

0.123456 1692871234

Here, the first part is microseconds, and the second part is seconds, which can be split and processed as needed.

4. Generate High-Precision Unique Identifiers

Using microtime(true), we can generate unique IDs accurate to the microsecond:

<?php
$unique_id = str_replace('.', '', (string)microtime(true));
echo "High-precision unique ID: $unique_id";
?>

This method is often used to generate log file names or task identifiers to avoid duplication.

5. Summary

PHP's microtime() function is a powerful tool for obtaining high-precision timestamps. With it, you can:

Accurately measure code execution time
Generate microsecond-level unique identifiers
Record high-precision logs

By combining the floating-point or string return values, you can flexibly meet different needs, making your PHP programs more precise in time control and performance analysis.

microtime