JSON to PHP Array Converter

Paste JSON on the left to get a clean PHP array, or paste a PHP array ([...] or array(...)) on the right to get JSON. The PHP to JSON output matched PHP's own json_encode() in our tests.

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JSON
PHP array

When you need it

  • Config files: an API sends its settings as JSON and you want them in config/services.php.
  • Tests and seeders: copy a real API response from the browser's Network tab, convert it, and paste it as a fixture or Http::fake() body.
  • Debugging: turn a var_export() or print_r-style array from a log back into JSON to read it in a JSON viewer or send it to a colleague.

Things the converter handles for you

  • Quotes and backslashes in strings are escaped for PHP single quotes ('it\'s').
  • Numeric JSON keys become integer keys (10 => 'ten'), as PHP itself would store them.
  • PHP input may use [] or array(), single or double quotes, trailing commas, comments, 1_000 number separators, and may start with <?php, return or $config =.
  • Arrays with keys in any order keep that order in the JSON, so the output matches json_encode().

What it cannot convert

Anything that only exists when PHP runs: variables ("Hello $name"), function calls like env('APP_URL') or now(), and objects. Constants such as PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE are kept as text. Replace those parts with their values first, or convert only the static part.

Doing it in PHP itself

If you have PHP at hand: var_export(json_decode($json, true)); prints an array (in the older array(...) style), and json_encode($array, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT | JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES | JSON_UNESCAPED_UNICODE) goes the other way. This page gives you the short syntax and proper indentation without a PHP shell.

FAQ

Why do I get an empty array [] instead of {} in JSON?
PHP has one array type. An empty PHP array is ambiguous, and json_encode() writes it as [], so this tool does the same. Use new stdClass or JSON_FORCE_OBJECT in PHP if you need {}.
Does json_decode() give an array or an object?
json_decode($json) gives objects (stdClass); json_decode($json, true) gives associative arrays, which is what this converter produces.
Is my JSON sent to a server?
No. Conversion runs in your browser. You can paste API responses that contain tokens, though it is still good practice to remove secrets before sharing anything.
Why does "PHP to JSON" fail on my file?
Usually a variable inside double quotes, a function call such as env(), or more than one statement. The error shows the part it stopped at.

Related guides

Found it useful? Put a link in your docs, README or forum answer so others can use it too:

HTML
<a href="https://headsntail.com/tools/json-to-php-array">JSON to PHP Array Converter (and back)</a> (free, by HeadsNTail)
Markdown (GitHub, Stack Overflow, dev.to)
[JSON to PHP Array Converter (and back)](https://headsntail.com/tools/json-to-php-array)

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