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whitecube/laravel-timezones
===========================

Store UTC dates in the database and work with custom timezones in the application.

v1.4.0(2mo ago)106106.2k—7.1%12MITPHPPHP >=8.1

Since Dec 13Pushed 2mo ago1 watchersCompare

[ Source](https://github.com/whitecube/laravel-timezones)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/whitecube/laravel-timezones)[ GitHub Sponsors](https://github.com/whitecube)[ RSS](/packages/whitecube-laravel-timezones/feed)WikiDiscussions main Synced 1mo ago

READMEChangelog (10)Dependencies (8)Versions (17)Used By (0)

Laravel Timezones
=================

[](#laravel-timezones)

Dealing with timezones can be a frustrating experience. Here's an attempt to brighten your day.

**The problem:** it is commonly agreed that dates should be stored as `UTC` datetimes in the database, which generally means they also need to be adapted for the local timezone before manipulation or display. Laravel provides a `app.timezone` configuration, making it possible to start working with timezones. However, changing that configuration will affect both the stored and manipulated date's timezones. This package tries to address this by providing a timezone conversion mechanism that should perform most of the repetitive timezone configurations out of the box.

```
// Model:
protected $casts = [
    'occurred_at' => TimezonedDatetime::class,
];

// Set a custom timezone
Timezone::set('Europe/Brussels');

// Display dates stored as UTC in the app's timezone:
// (database value: 2022-12-13 09:00:00)
echo $model->occurred_at->format('d.m.Y H:i'); // Output: 13.12.2022 10:00

// Store dates using automatic UTC conversion:
$model->occurred_at = '2022-12-13 20:00:00';
$model->save(); // Database value: 2022-12-13 19:00:00
```

Installation
------------

[](#installation)

```
composer require whitecube/laravel-timezones
```

Getting started
---------------

[](#getting-started)

The `app.timezone` configuration setting has to be set to the timezone that should be used when saving dates in the database. We highly recommend keeping it as `UTC` since it's a global standard for dates storage.

For in-app date manipulation and display, one would expect more flexibility. That's why it is possible to set the application's timezone dynamically by updating the `timezone` singleton instance. Depending on the app's context, please choose one that suits your situation best:

### 1. Using middleware

[](#1-using-middleware)

Useful when the app's timezone should be set by ther user's settings.

```
namespace App\Http\Middleware;

use Closure;
use Whitecube\LaravelTimezones\Facades\Timezone;

class DefineApplicationTimezone
{
    public function handle($request, Closure $next)
    {
        Timezone::set($request->user()->timezone ?? 'Europe/Brussels');

        return $next($request);
    }
}
```

### 2. Using a Service Provider

[](#2-using-a-service-provider)

Useful when the app's timezone should be set by the application itself. For instance, in `App\Providers\AppServiceProvider`:

```
namespace App\Providers;

use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;
use Whitecube\LaravelTimezones\Facades\Timezone;

class AppServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
    public function boot()
    {
        Timezone::set('America/Toronto');
    }
}
```

Usage
-----

[](#usage)

Once everything's setup, the easiest way to manipulate dates configured with the app's current timezone is to use the `TimezonedDatetime` or `ImmutableTimezonedDatetime` cast types on your models:

```
use Whitecube\LaravelTimezones\Casts\TimezonedDatetime;
use Whitecube\LaravelTimezones\Casts\ImmutableTimezonedDatetime;

/**
 * The attributes that should be cast.
 *
 * @var array
 */
protected $casts = [
    'published_at' => TimezonedDatetime::class,
    'birthday' => ImmutableTimezonedDatetime::class . ':Y-m-d',
];
```

In other scenarios, feel free to use the `Timezone` Facade directly for more convenience:

```
use Carbon\Carbon;
use Whitecube\LaravelTimezones\Facades\Timezone;

// Get the current date configured with the current timezone:
$now = Timezone::now();

// Create a date using the current timezone:
$date = Timezone::date('2023-01-01 00:00:00');
// Alternatively, set the timezone manually on a Carbon instance:
$date = new Carbon('2023-01-01 00:00:00', Timezone::current());

// Convert a date to the current timezone:
$date = Timezone::date(new Carbon('2023-01-01 00:00:00', 'UTC'));
// Alternatively, set the application timezone yourself:
$date = (new Carbon('2023-01-01 00:00:00', 'UTC'))->setTimezone(Timezone::current());

// Convert a date to the storage timezone:
$date = Timezone::store(new Carbon('2023-01-01 00:00:00', 'Europe/Brussels'));
// Alternatively, set the storage timezone yourself:
$date = (new Carbon('2023-01-01 00:00:00', 'Europe/Brussels'))->setTimezone(Timezone::storage());
```

Assigning values to cast attributes
-----------------------------------

[](#assigning-values-to-cast-attributes)

Many developers are used to assign Carbon instances to date attributes:

```
$model->published_at = Carbon::create($request->published_at);
```

**This can lead to unexpected behavior** because the assigned Carbon instance will default to the `UTC` timezone, whereas the provided value was probably meant for another timezone. The datetime string will be stored as-is without shifting its timezone accordingly first.

In order to prevent this, it is recommended to let the Cast do the heavy lifting:

```
$model->published_at = $request->published_at;
```

The package will now treat the provided datetime string using the correct Timezone (for instance, `Europe/Brussels`) and store the shifted `UTC` value in the database correctly.

A more verbose (but also correct) method would be to create the Carbon instance using the `Timezone` facade :

```
$model->published_at = Carbon::create($request->published_at, Timezone::current());
// Or, shorthand:
$model->published_at = Timezone::date($request->published_at);
```

**This is not a bug**, it is intended behavior since one should be fully aware of the Carbon instance's timezone before assigning it.

### Edge cases

[](#edge-cases)

If you need to use the `TimezonedDatetime` or `ImmutableTimezonedDatetime` casts on the default timestamp columns (`created_at` and/or `updated_at`) AND you're expecting to handle dates with timezones other than UTC or the one you've defined with `Timezone::set()`, you will need to apply the `Whitecube\LaravelTimezones\Concerns\HasTimezonedTimestamps` trait on your model.

This is necessary to prevent Laravel's casting of those attributes to occur, which would transform the value in a way where the timezone information is lost, preventing our cast from working properly.

An example of a case where you need to use the trait:

```
Timezone::set('Europe/Brussels');

$model->created_at = new Carbon('2022-12-15 09:00:00', 'Asia/Taipei');
```

🔥 Sponsorships
--------------

[](#-sponsorships)

If you are reliant on this package in your production applications, consider [sponsoring us](https://github.com/sponsors/whitecube)! It is the best way to help us keep doing what we love to do: making great open source software.

Contributing
------------

[](#contributing)

Feel free to suggest changes, ask for new features or fix bugs yourself. We're sure there are still a lot of improvements that could be made, and we would be very happy to merge useful pull requests. Thanks!

Made with ❤️ for open source
----------------------------

[](#made-with-️-for-open-source)

At [Whitecube](https://www.whitecube.be) we use a lot of open source software as part of our daily work. So when we have an opportunity to give something back, we're super excited!

We hope you will enjoy this small contribution from us and would love to [hear from you](mailto:hello@whitecube.be) if you find it useful in your projects. Follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/whitecube_be) for more updates!

###  Health Score

58

—

FairBetter than 98% of packages

Maintenance88

Actively maintained with recent releases

Popularity48

Moderate usage in the ecosystem

Community20

Small or concentrated contributor base

Maturity63

Established project with proven stability

 Bus Factor1

Top contributor holds 57.8% of commits — single point of failure

How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window.

**Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores.

**Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement.

**Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability.

###  Release Activity

Cadence

Every ~79 days

Recently: every ~150 days

Total

16

Last Release

61d ago

### Community

Maintainers

![](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/8435657?v=4)[Whitecube](/maintainers/Whitecube)[@whitecube](https://github.com/whitecube)

---

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---

Tags

laravellaravel-packagelaravelconversiontimelocalwhitecubeutc

###  Code Quality

TestsPest

### Embed Badge

![Health badge](/badges/whitecube-laravel-timezones/health.svg)

```
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```

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