Does the output use array() or short-array [...] syntax?

Short-array syntax ([...]), the modern style supported since PHP 5.4 and used throughout current PHP code, rather than the older array(...) form.

How are JSON object keys and array items different in the output?

Object keys become explicit 'key' => value entries, while array items are written as bare positional values with no => key, matching how a plain PHP list literal looks in real code.

How are strings escaped?

Every string becomes a single-quoted PHP string with backslashes and single quotes escaped (\\ and \'), which is the safest PHP string form since single-quoted strings don't interpret variables or most escape sequences.

Can I convert the PHP array literal back into JSON?

Yes, PHP Array to JSON parses this exact output (including the <?php $data = ...; wrapper) back into equivalent JSON, so the two tools round-trip for the object/array/scalar shapes this converter produces.

JSON to PHP Array Converter - Convert JSON to PHP Code

Overview

Introduction

Pasting JSON test data or config into a PHP script usually means hand-converting it into an array() or [...] literal by hand.

This tool does that conversion automatically, producing ready-to-paste PHP source with correct short-array syntax and properly escaped strings.

What Is JSON to PHP Array Converter?

A converter that parses JSON and recursively renders the resulting value as a PHP array literal: JSON objects become 'key' => value entries, JSON arrays become positional entries, and scalars map to PHP's null, true/false, numeric, and single-quoted string literals.

The output is wrapped in a full <?php $data = [...]; statement so it's directly usable as a PHP file or snippet.

How JSON to PHP Array Converter Works

After parsing the JSON, the tool recurses through the value: objects render as [...] blocks with 'key' => value lines indented four spaces deeper per level, arrays render the same way but with bare positional values, and scalars render via a small mapping (null, true/false, numbers as-is, strings single-quoted with \\ and \' escaped).

Empty objects and empty arrays both render as [], since PHP's array type doesn't distinguish an empty list from an empty map, only the entries (if any) determine which one you end up with when parsed back.

When To Use JSON to PHP Array Converter

Use it when you have JSON sample data, an API response, a fixture, and need it as native PHP array code for a test or config file.

It's also handy for quickly seeing how a JSON structure would look expressed in PHP's array syntax.

Often used alongside PHP Array to JSON Converter, JSON to TypeScript Converter and JSON Formatter & Beautifier.

Features

Advantages

Produces syntactically valid modern PHP (short-array syntax) that can be pasted directly into a .php file.
Correctly distinguishes object entries (with 'key' =>) from array entries (bare values) based on the JSON input's own shape.
Escapes strings safely for PHP's single-quoted string literal rules.

Limitations

PHP has no single canonical array-literal parser to invert this against in general PHP code; this site's own PHP Array to JSON tool only understands the specific subset this converter produces.
Empty JSON objects and empty JSON arrays both render as the same [] literal, so that distinction is lost in the PHP output.

Examples

Nested object with an array value

Input

{"name":"Ada","roles":["admin","editor"]}

Output

<?php

$data = [
    'name' => 'Ada',
    'roles' => [
        'admin',
        'editor',
    ],
];

The object becomes 'key' => value entries; the nested array becomes bare positional entries.

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Review generated keys and strings before committing them to source control, especially if the original JSON came from an untrusted source.
Use PHP Array to JSON to double-check a round trip before relying on hand-edited output.
For very large JSON payloads, consider keeping the data as a JSON file loaded at runtime instead of inlining it as PHP source.

Developer Notes

The render() function mirrors the one already used by this site's XML to PHP Array converter almost exactly, the only difference is the parsing step in front of it (JSON.parse here versus an XML-to-JSON pass there), which keeps PHP array rendering behavior consistent across every format this site converts into PHP.

JSON to PHP Array Converter Use Cases

Turning an API response's JSON sample into a PHP test fixture
Converting a JSON config into a PHP config array for a legacy codebase
Quickly previewing how nested JSON would look as PHP array syntax

Common Mistakes

Assuming the output round-trips through arbitrary PHP array code; only this converter's own PHP Array to JSON tool is guaranteed to parse it back.
Not noticing that an empty {} and an empty [] both produce the same [] in the PHP output.
Forgetting the output includes a full <?php opening tag and $data = assignment, which may need trimming if pasting into an existing file.

Tips

Copy just the array literal (skip the <?php and $data = wrapper) if you're inserting it into an existing PHP expression.
Use PHP Array to JSON afterward to sanity-check that the generated array round-trips to the JSON you expect.

JSON to PHP Array Converter