How to parse datetime using Laravel on date and time?
Stefan Bogdanescu
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
Title: A Comprehensive Guide on Parsing Datetime in Laravel: Extracting Date and Time Parts
Body:
Handling dates and times can be a challenging task for developers. In this blog post, we will explore how to parse datetime strings using Laravel and convert them into date and time components for your convenience. By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of how to deal with datetime data in Laravel applications.
Let's begin by breaking down the problem: We are given a string representing a datetime format - '2016-11-01 15:04:19'. Our objective is to separate this datetime value into its date and time components. To do that with Laravel, you will be using two built-in helpers: Carbon's `parse()` method and Laravel's `date()` function.
1. Parse the DateTime String using Laravel's Carbon:
The first step is to use Carbon for parsing your datetime string. Carbon is a comprehensive PHP library that handles date and time manipulation. To parse the given datetime string, you can use the `parse()` function as follows:
```php
use Carbon\Carbon;
// DateTime string example: "2016-11-01 15:04:19"
$datetime = '2016-11-01 15:04:19';
// Parse the datetime string into a Carbon object
$carbonDate = Carbon::parse($datetime);
```
Now, the `$carbonDate` variable contains an instance of Carbon representing your datetime string.
2. Extract Date and Time Components:
With `Carbon` in hand, you can easily extract date and time components by using Laravel's built-in functions. Here are the essential date parts to access:
- Year (2016)
- Month (November) as a string or 11 as an integer
- Day (01)
- Hour (15)
- Minute (04)
- Seconds (19)
You can obtain these components by calling the `format()` method of Carbon with the desired format:
```php
// Extract date components
$year = $carbonDate->format('Y'); // 2016
$month = $carbonDate->format('M'); // November
$day = $carbonDate->format('d'); // 01
$hour = $carbonDate->format('H'); // 15
$minute = $carbonDate->format('i'); // 04
$second = $carbonDate->format('s'); // 19
```
3. Implementation and Conclusion:
To make use of these components, you can create a separate function that accepts the parsed datetime string as input and returns an array containing the extracted date and time parts:
```php
// Function to extract date and time from Carbon object
function getDateAndTimeComponents($datetime) {
$carbon = Carbon::parse($datetime);
return [
'year' => $carbon->format('Y'), // 2016
'month' => $carbon->format('M'), // November
'day' => $carbon->format('d'), // 01
'hour' => $carbon->format('H'), // 15
'minute' => $carbon->format('i'), // 04
'second' => $carbon->format('s') // 19
];
}
```
Now, you can call this function and use the returned array to access any desired date or time part. This approach offers flexibility for your Laravel applications by enabling you to work with date and time components as needed.
In conclusion, handling datetime data in Laravel can be simplified using Carbon and Laravel's built-in functions. By following this guide, you should now know how to parse a datetime string, extract its individual date and time components, and use these parts within your Laravel applications.