There are three main methods for verifying the validity of dates in PHP: 1. Use the checkdate function to verify the Gregorian date, which is suitable for the standard MM/DD/YYYY format, which can judge leap years but does not support non-Gregorian calendars; 2. Use DateTime::createFromFormat to verify specific formats such as 'YYY-MM-DD', 'd/m/Y', etc., which are more flexible and can be verified in combination with time; 3. Use strtotime to make loose judgments on timestamps or fuzzy formats, but they are not suitable for strict verification. Select the appropriate method according to the scene: select checkdate for the simple date, use DateTime::createFromFormat for complex formats, and use strtotime for temporary judgment.
Determining whether a date is valid is a common requirement in PHP development, especially when processing user input or form data. It is not always reliable to parse dates directly using format strings, and PHP provides some more secure ways.

Verify Gregorian dates using checkdate
function
The built-in checkdate
function of PHP is the most direct way to verify the date of the Gregorian calendar. It accepts three parameters: month, day, and year, and returns a Boolean value to indicate whether the date is legal.

if (checkdate(2, 29, 2024)) { // Legal: February 29, 2024 is a valid leap day}
- Suitable for standard MM/DD/YYYY format date verification
- Non-Gregorian dates (such as lunar calendar) are not supported
- Note that the month range is 1~12, and the date must be in line with the number of days of the month.
More flexible verification with DateTime::createFromFormat
If you need to verify date strings in a specific format (such as 'YYYY-MM-DD' or 'd/m/Y'), it is recommended to use DateTime::createFromFormat
method:
$date = DateTime::createFromFormat('Ym-d', '2023-02-30'); if ($date && $date->format('Ym-d') === '2023-02-30') { // Verification passed}
- Supports various date formats
- Can be verified in combination with time
- If an illegal date is passed in (such as February 30), false will be returned or a mismatched format will be generated
Some common format comparisons:

-
Ymd
→ 2024-03-15 -
d/m/Y
→ 15/03/2024 -
m/d/Y
→ 03/15/2024
Process dates with timestamps or non-standard formats
Sometimes you may encounter time data in timestamps, ISO8601 format, or other string form. At this time, you can use strtotime()
combined with date()
to perform basic verification:
if (strtotime('2023-02-29') === false) { // Illegal date}
But this method has limitations:
- Some fuzzy expressions (such as "2023-02-30") may be automatically adjusted to a legal date (changed into March 1)
- Not suitable for strict verification, more suitable for loose judgment
Basically these methods. Just choose the right method according to your scenario: use checkdate
for the simple date, use DateTime::createFromFormat
for the complex format, and try strtotime
for temporary judgment. These tips are useful in form validation, importing data, and log analysis.
The above is the detailed content of php check if date is valid. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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