How To Get Current Time In Milliseconds In PHP?

Implementing microtime() for Millisecond Precision

The microtime() function in PHP is a common way to get the current time with microsecond precision. This function returns the current Unix timestamp with microseconds as a string or float.

To convert the microtime() output to milliseconds:

1. Call microtime() with the true parameter to get a float value:

   $microtime = microtime(true);

2. Multiply the result by 1000 to convert seconds to milliseconds:

   $milliseconds = $microtime * 1000;

3. Use the floor() function to round down to the nearest integer:

   $milliseconds = floor($microtime * 1000);

You can combine these steps into a single line of code:

$milliseconds = floor(microtime(true) * 1000);

This method gives you the current timestamp in milliseconds as an integer. It's accurate and works on all PHP versions that support the microtime() function.

date_default_timezone_set('UTC');
$milliseconds = floor(microtime(true) * 1000);

Using DateTime Class

The DateTime class in PHP lets you work with dates and times. It has methods to change and format dates, including getting the current time with millisecond precision.

To use DateTime for milliseconds:

1. Create a new DateTime object:

   $dateTime = new DateTime();

2. Format the DateTime object to include milliseconds:

   $milliseconds = $dateTime->format('U') * 1000 + $dateTime->format('v');

The 'U' format character returns the Unix timestamp (seconds since the Unix Epoch), while 'v' returns the milliseconds as a three-digit integer.

$dateTime = new DateTimeImmutable();
$milliseconds = $dateTime->format('U') * 1000 + $dateTime->format('v');

Combining time() and gettimeofday()

The gettimeofday() function returns an array with the current time components, including microseconds. By combining this with the time() function, you can get millisecond precision.

To use this method:

1. Get the current time using time():

   $seconds = time();

2. Use gettimeofday() to get the microseconds:

   $microseconds = gettimeofday()['usec'];

3. Combine the results to get milliseconds:

   $milliseconds = $seconds * 1000 + floor($microseconds / 1000);

This approach uses built-in PHP functions and works well when you need both the standard Unix timestamp and millisecond precision.