Prerequisites

• Access to root user or a user with sudo privileges.
• Installed PHP (any version) on CentOS 7.

Step 1: Determine the Current Timezone

First, determine the current PHP timezone setting. You can do this by creating a simple PHP script:

<?php
echo date_default_timezone_get();
?>

Save this script to a file and run it in a browser or from the command line. It will display the current timezone setting.

Step 2: Set the Timezone in PHP.ini

PHP.ini is the main configuration file for PHP. To change the timezone, locate and edit this file.

1. Open the php.ini file using a text editor. The path to the file might be, for example, /etc/php.ini:

   sudo nano /etc/php.ini
   ​

2. Find the line ;date.timezone = and change it to reflect your desired timezone. For example:

   date.timezone = "Europe/Prague"
   ​

   Remember to remove the semicolon at the beginning of the line, which uncomments this directive.

3. Save and close the file.

4. Step 3: Restart the Web Server

5.  

   After editing the configuration file, you need to restart the web server for the changes to take effect. If you're using Apache, restart it with:

   sudo systemctl restart httpd
   

   For Nginx, use:

   sudo systemctl restart nginx
   

6. Step 4: Verify the Timezone Setting

   To verify that the timezone has been set correctly, create or modify the previous PHP script:

   <?php
   echo date_default_timezone_get();
   ?>
   

Run this script again. It should now display the newly set timezone.

Additional Steps

• For dynamic applications where the timezone may need to be changed based on user preferences, you can use the date_default_timezone_set() function directly in your code.
• Remember to test your applications after changing the timezone to ensure everything is functioning as expected.

Setting the correct timezone in PHP on CentOS 7 is an important step to ensure your web applications handle dates and times properly. Follow the steps outlined above to ensure your applications process data and time accurately.