JSON to PHP Array Converter

How JSON maps to PHP

Two details cause most surprises. First, numeric string keys become integers in PHP: the JSON key "10" turns into the integer key 10. Second, very large integers beyond PHP_INT_MAX become floats and lose precision; pass JSON_BIGINT_AS_STRING to keep them as strings.

When to paste JSON into PHP code

Converting JSON into PHP array syntax is useful for configuration files that return an array (Laravel and Symfony config, WordPress theme.json fallbacks), for test fixtures and data providers in PHPUnit, for seeders, and for small lookup tables that would otherwise need a file read on every request. Arrays in PHP files are also cached by OPcache, so they cost nothing to load.

For data that changes at runtime or comes from an API, keep it as JSON and decode it with json_decode(). Generating PHP code from external data and including it is a security risk.

PHP to JSON with the real json_encode()

The reverse direction evaluates your array with PHP itself, so it understands everything a PHP file can contain: array() and [], nested arrays, single and double quotes, escape sequences, constants like PHP_INT_MAX, trailing commas and expressions such as 60 * 60. Paste either a bare array, $data = [...]; or a whole config file that starts with <?php return [...];. The output uses JSON_PRETTY_PRINT, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES and JSON_UNESCAPED_UNICODE.

Working with serialized data instead of JSON? Use the PHP Unserialize tool. To experiment with json_encode() flags yourself, open the PHP Sandbox.