JSON to PHP Array Converter

PHP Array Syntax

PHP supports both short array syntax (available since PHP 5.4) and the traditional array() function. Both are equivalent; short syntax is preferred in modern PHP.

// Short syntax (PHP 5.4+)
$data = [
    'name' => 'Alice',
    'age'  => 30,
];

// Long syntax (all PHP versions)
$data = array(
    'name' => 'Alice',
    'age'  => 30,
);

Working with PHP Arrays

 'Alice',
    'tags' => ['php', 'laravel'],
];

// Access a value
echo $data['name']; // Alice

// Loop over an associative array
foreach ($data as $key => $value) {
    echo "$key: " . print_r($value, true) . "\n";
}

// Convert back to JSON
echo json_encode($data, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);

Common Use Cases

• Config files: Convert JSON config to PHP arrays for framework config files
• Laravel / Symfony: Generate route, database, or service config arrays
• Seeding: Turn JSON fixtures into PHP seeders for database population
• Translation files: Convert JSON i18n strings to PHP language arrays
• API mocking: Convert API response JSON to PHP test fixtures

FAQ