How Can I Get the Creation Date of a File in PHP?

Getting File Creation Date in PHP

When dealing with a directory containing numerous files, retrieving the creation date of a particular file is a common requirement. However, PHP does not provide an explicit function for this purpose.

File Modification and Creation Time

PHP offers two functions, filemtime and filectime, that provide information about file modification and creation times, respectively.

Windows and Unix Differences

The behavior of filectime varies depending on the operating system. On Windows, it returns the file's creation time, while on Unix-like systems, it returns the file's modification or change time. This is because Unix filesystems do not typically maintain creation timestamps.

No Creation Timestamp on Unix

In the absence of a dedicated creation timestamp on Unix systems, filectime provides the closest approximation, indicating the file's last modification. However, it's important to note that this approximation is not always accurate, as file modifications can occur without affecting the creation time.

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