How to JSON Decode in PHP?

JSON Decode is the process of converting a JSON string into a PHP variable, typically an object or an associative array. Then we will print that decode JSON text.

Below are the approaches to JSON decoding in PHP:

Using json_decode() method

In this approach, we use json_decode() in PHP to parse a JSON string into an object. We then check if the decoding was successful and display the decoded values such as Name, Age, and City otherwise, it shows a failure message.

Example: The below example uses json_decode() to JSON Decode in PHP.

PHP

<?php
$json_data = '{"name": "GFG", "age": 30, "city": "Noida"}';
$res = json_decode($json_data);
if ($res !== null) {
    echo "Name: " . $res->name . "<br>";
    echo "Age: " . $res->age . "<br>";
    echo "City: " . $res->city . "<br>";
} else {
    echo "Failed to decode JSON data.";
}
?>

Output:

Name: GFG
Age: 30
City: Noida

Using Explode and Foreach Loop

In this approach, This PHP code decodes JSON data using the explode function and a foreach loop. It replaces unnecessary characters, splits the data into key-value pairs, and stores them in an associative array. Finally, it prints specific values like name, age, and city.

Example: The below example uses Explode and Foreach Loop to JSON Decode in PHP.

PHP

<?php
$json_data = '{"name": "GFG", "age": 30, "city": "Noida"}';
$json_data = str_replace(["{", "}", '"'], "", $json_data);
$key_Val = explode(",", $json_data);
$res = [];
foreach ($key_Val as $pair) {
    list($key, $value) = explode(":", $pair, 2);
    $key = trim($key);
    $value = trim($value);
    $res[$key] = $value;
}
echo "Name: " . $res["name"] . "<br>";
echo "Age: " . $res["age"] . "<br>";
echo "City: " . $res["city"] . "<br>";
?>

Output:

Name: GFG
Age: 30
City: Noida