Two Methods to Get 13-Digit Timestamp in PHP

Two Methods to Get 13-Digit Timestamp in PHP

In development, getting a timestamp is a common requirement. Generally, the most common timestamp is 10 digits, representing the number of seconds that have passed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. However, in some use cases, we need a more precise timestamp, such as a 13-digit timestamp.

A 13-digit timestamp represents the number of milliseconds that have passed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. Below, we will introduce two methods to get a 13-digit timestamp in PHP:

Method 1: Using the microtime() Function

The microtime() function in PHP can return the microsecond part along with the current timestamp. By passing true as a parameter to microtime(), we get a floating-point number, which we can then manipulate to obtain a 13-digit timestamp.

// Get 13-digit timestamp
$timestamp = microtime(true) * 1000;
$timestamp = intval($timestamp);

Code explanation: First, we call microtime(true) to get the microseconds, then multiply it by 1000 to get the millisecond value. Finally, we use intval() to convert it into an integer, resulting in a 13-digit timestamp.

Method 2: Using the DateTime Class

Another method is to use PHP's built-in DateTime class to obtain the 13-digit timestamp. Although this method requires more code, it is more intuitive and easy to understand.

// Get 13-digit timestamp
$datetime = new DateTime();
$timestamp = $datetime->format('U') * 1000 + $datetime->format('u') / 1000;
$timestamp = intval($timestamp);

Code explanation: We first create a DateTime object, then use the format() method to get the Unix timestamp (the 10-digit timestamp), multiply it by 1000 to get the milliseconds, and then add the microseconds divided by 1000 to get the precise 13-digit timestamp.

Both of these methods allow you to get a precise 13-digit timestamp. Which one you choose depends on your specific needs and preferences.