can i compare date strings in php code example

Example 1: date comparison function in php

Select if(Date('2020-10-01') > Date('2020-11-01'), '1', '2' ) as rslt_date

Example 2: php compare dates

$date1 = "2021-01-15";
$date2 = "2021-01-18";

if ($date1 < $date2) {
 	echo "$date1 is earlier than $date2";
} else {
	echo "$date1 is later than $date2";
}