Returning JSON from a PHP script
Nadia S.
The Problem
How can I return JSON from a PHP script?
The Solution
We use the header() function to set Content-Type to application/json. Then we can use the json_encode() function to covert our PHP array into a JSON-formatted string. For example:
<?php // Set the header content-type header('Content-Type: application/json'); // Create or get a PHP array (or object) $array = [ 'Canada' => 'Ottawa', 'India' => 'New Delhi', 'United States' => 'Washington, D.C.', 'France' => 'Paris', ]; // Encode to JSON format $json = json_encode($array, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT); // Display echo $json;
As a second argument, we use JSON_PRETTY_PRINT to add spaces to improve the readability of the output. For example:
{ "Canada": "Ottawa", "India": "New Delhi", "United States": "Washington, D.C.", "France": "Paris" }
While it’s not essential to set the header content type to application/json, it’s recommended as a best practice. Especially when you’re working with APIs and various services, explicitly communicating to the client that the response will be in JSON format ensures the data is correctly handled and processed.
Loved by over 4 million developers and more than 90,000 organizations worldwide, Sentry provides code-level observability to many of the world’s best-known companies like Disney, Peloton, Cloudflare, Eventbrite, Slack, Supercell, and Rockstar Games. Each month we process billions of exceptions from the most popular products on the internet.
Related Answers
- Convert a date format in PHP?
- Converting an integer to a string in PHP
- Deleting elements from an array in PHP
- How can I get the first element of an array in PHP?
- How can I prevent SQL injection in PHP?
- How do I check if a string contains a specific word in PHP?
- How do I convert a string to a number in PHP?
- How do I get a YouTube video thumbnail from the YouTube API?
- How do I get PHP errors to display
- How do I get the current date and time in PHP?
A better experience for your users. An easier life for your developers.
A peek at your privacy
Here’s a quick look at how Sentry handles your personal information (PII).
×Who we collect PII from
We collect PII about people browsing our website, users of the Sentry service, prospective customers, and people who otherwise interact with us.
What if my PII is included in data sent to Sentry by a Sentry customer (e.g., someone using Sentry to monitor their app)? In this case you have to contact the Sentry customer (e.g., the maker of the app). We do not control the data that is sent to us through the Sentry service for the purposes of application monitoring.
Am I included?PII we may collect about you
- PII provided by you and related to your
- Account, profile, and login
- Requests and inquiries
- Purchases
- PII collected from your device and usage
- PII collected from third parties (e.g., social media)
How we use your PII
- To operate our site and service
- To protect and improve our site and service
- To provide customer care and support
- To communicate with you
- For other purposes (that we inform you of at collection)
Third parties who receive your PII
We may disclose your PII to the following type of recipients:
- Subsidiaries and other affiliates
- Service providers
- Partners (go-to-market, analytics)
- Third-party platforms (when you connect them to our service)
- Governmental authorities (where necessary)
- An actual or potential buyer
We use cookies (but not for advertising)
- We do not use advertising or targeting cookies
- We use necessary cookies to run and improve our site and service
- You can disable cookies but this can impact your use or access to certain parts of our site and service
Know your rights
You may have the following rights related to your PII:
- Access, correct, and update
- Object to or restrict processing
- Port over
- Opt-out of marketing
- Be forgotten by Sentry
- Withdraw your consent
- Complain about us
If you have any questions or concerns about your privacy at Sentry, please email us at compliance@sentry.io.
If you are a California resident, see our Supplemental notice.