JSON → PHP serialize()
Convert JSON into PHP's serialize() format so unserialize() can read it. Byte-accurate string lengths and preserved key order. Runs entirely in your browser, no server, no sign-up.
What this tool does
Convert JSON into the string format produced by PHP's serialize(), so a PHP
app's unserialize() can read it back. It runs entirely in your browser —
nothing is sent to a server, it works offline, and there is no sign-up.
This is handy when a non-PHP system (Node, Python, a shell script) has to write a
value that a PHP application will read — a session payload, a cached object, or a
WordPress wp_options row stored in PHP's serialized format.
The format
PHP's serialized format is compact and type-tagged. Each value carries its type:
| JSON | PHP serialize() |
|---|---|
null | N; |
true / false | b:1; / b:0; |
42 | i:42; |
3.5 | d:3.5; |
"hi" | s:2:"hi"; |
[1, 2, 3] | a:3:{i:0;i:1;i:1;i:2;i:2;i:3;} |
{"name": "Al"} | a:1:{s:4:"name";s:2:"Al";} |
Notes that trip people up
- String length is in bytes, not characters. A
"€"is one character but three UTF-8 bytes, so it serializes ass:3:"€";. This tool counts bytes correctly, which is exactly what PHP expects — getting it wrong makesunserialize()fail. - JSON objects and arrays both become PHP arrays. PHP has no separate plain
"map" type —
{"a": 1}and["a"]are botha:...arrays, keyed by the object's string keys or by sequential integer indices respectively. This matchesserialize(json_decode($json, true)). - Object key order is preserved, in the order it appears in your JSON.
- Big integers and fractions become doubles. A whole number that fits a
64-bit integer is emitted as
i:; a fractional value, or an integer too large for 64 bits, is emitted asd:— the same fallback PHP uses when a literal overflows the platform integer.
Examples
| JSON input | PHP output |
|---|---|
{"name": "Al", "age": 30} | a:2:{s:4:"name";s:2:"Al";s:3:"age";i:30;} |
[true, null, 1.5] | a:3:{i:0;b:1;i:1;N;i:2;d:1.5;} |
"café" | s:5:"café"; |
{"items": [1, 2]} | a:1:{s:5:"items";a:2:{i:0;i:1;i:1;i:2;}} |
FAQ
Is it free and private?
Yes — your input never leaves your device, and the page keeps working offline once it has loaded.
Can I unserialize the output in PHP?
Yes. Paste the result into
unserialize($string) in any PHP 7+ install and you get the equivalent array or
scalar back.
Why does my string length look "too big"?
Because PHP counts string length
in bytes, not characters — accented and non-Latin text takes more than one byte
per character. The byte count here is what unserialize() requires.
Does it handle nested arrays and objects?
Yes, to any depth — nested arrays and objects are serialized recursively.
Developer & Automation Access
Run it from the terminal
Same engine as this page, headless — via the gizza CLI:
gizza tool php-serialize '{"name": "Al", "age": 30}'New to the CLI? Get gizza →
Open it by URL
Pre-fill and auto-run this tool with query parameters — the names match the API/CLI:
https://gizza.ai/tools/php-serialize/?json=%7B%22name%22%3A%20%22Al%22%2C%20%22age%22%3A%2030%7DMachine-readable descriptor: tool.json — title + parameters JSON Schema for agents.