What are the differences and implications of UTC time and Zulu time?

[NotionCommotion]

What are the differences and implications of UTC time and Zulu time?
  

<?php
function getArr(string $time):array
{
    $dateTime = new \DateTime($time);
    return [
        'time'=>$time,
        'timestamp'=> $dateTime->getTimestamp(),
        'dateTime' => $dateTime
    ];
}
$arr = getArr('2020-08-05');  
$arr_z = getArr('2020-08-05T00:00:00Z');  

print_r($arr);
print_r($arr_z);

echo('equal timestamps: '.($arr['timestamp'] === $arr['timestamp']?'true':'false'));

 

Array
(
    [time] => 2020-08-05
    [timestamp] => 1596585600
    [dateTime] => DateTime Object
        (
            [date] => 2020-08-05 00:00:00.000000
            [timezone_type] => 3
            [timezone] => UTC
        )

)
Array
(
    [time] => 2020-08-05T00:00:00Z
    [timestamp] => 1596585600
    [dateTime] => DateTime Object
        (
            [date] => 2020-08-05 00:00:00.000000
            [timezone_type] => 2
            [timezone] => Z
        )

)
equal timestamps: true

 

[gw1500se]

Search engines are your friend.

GMT, UTC and ZULU Time Explained

[NotionCommotion]

1 hour ago, gw1500se said:

Search engines are your friend.

GMT, UTC and ZULU Time Explained

Thanks gw1500se,

Before posting this question, I did look at several sources such as https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zones/z which described it as military time.  Both your and my reference state that it is the same as UTC, but as seen by the output of my initial script, they have different timezone types and I didn't know what implications that might have.

[requinix]

Don't worry about the timezone_type.

It's a "military timezone" because they use single letters to identify UTC offsets. Supposedly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_time_zones
Z === UTC. But it's such a convenient symbol that just about everybody else uses it too.

[NotionCommotion]

19 hours ago, requinix said:

Don't worry about the timezone_type.

It's a "military timezone" because they use single letters to identify UTC offsets. Supposedly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_time_zones
Z === UTC. But it's such a convenient symbol that just about everybody else uses it too.

Thanks,  Will lose no more sleep over it!