Why single quotes instead of double quotes for PHP strings?

Single-quoted PHP strings only need to escape a backslash and a single quote, nothing else is interpreted, unlike double-quoted strings where `$` and other sequences trigger interpolation. That makes single quotes the safer default for arbitrary string data pulled out of YAML, and matches what PHP's own `var_export()` produces.

How are YAML list items represented in the PHP array?

A YAML sequence becomes a PHP array of plain values with no `=>` keys, relying on PHP's implicit numeric indexing, exactly like writing `[1, 2, 3]` in PHP. Mappings, by contrast, always get explicit `'key' => value` pairs.

How are YAML null, true, and false handled?

They're converted to PHP's lowercase `null`, `true`, and `false` literals, matching PHP's own case-insensitive-but-conventionally-lowercase keyword style, rather than being turned into strings.

Can I use the output directly in a PHP config file?

Yes, the output is a single expression (`[...]`), so wrapping it in `return ...;` or assigning it to a variable like `$config = ...;` is enough to use it as a Laravel-style config file or any array literal.

Does this tool send my YAML anywhere?

No, conversion happens entirely client-side using the same `yaml` parser used across this category. Nothing you paste is uploaded.

YAML to PHP Array - Convert YAML to PHP Online

Overview

Introduction

PHP projects, especially Laravel-style config files, are usually written as plain array literals, not YAML. When the source of truth for a piece of configuration is YAML (a shared CI file, a Kubernetes ConfigMap, a docs example), converting it into that literal syntax by hand is tedious and error-prone, especially around string escaping.

This tool parses YAML and emits the equivalent PHP array literal directly, ready to paste into a `.php` file.

What Is YAML to PHP Array Converter?

A YAML-to-PHP converter walks a parsed YAML document and renders each mapping as a PHP associative array (`'key' => value`) and each sequence as a plain indexed array, recursively, down to the scalar leaves.

Scalars are formatted the way PHP's `var_export()` would print them: numbers as bare digits, booleans and null as lowercase keywords, and strings single-quoted with the two characters that matter inside single quotes (`\` and `'`) escaped.

How YAML to PHP Array Converter Works

The input is parsed with a full YAML 1.2 parser into a plain JS value, then recursively rendered as PHP source text. Objects become `[ 'key' => value, ... ]` blocks, arrays become `[ value, ... ]` blocks with no keys, and each nesting level adds one more level of four-space indentation.

String escaping only touches backslashes and single quotes, matching single-quoted PHP string literal rules exactly, so no other characters are altered or double-escaped.

When To Use YAML to PHP Array Converter

Use it when migrating a YAML config into a Laravel, Symfony, or plain PHP config file that expects a native array.

It's also handy for quickly checking what a piece of YAML would look like as PHP during a code review or a migration script.

Often used alongside YAML to JSON Converter, YAML to Properties Converter and YAML Formatter & Prettifier.

Features

Advantages

Produces syntactically correct PHP with proper escaping, no manual quote-fixing needed.
Uses PHP's modern short array syntax (`[...]`) rather than the older `array(...)` form.
Preserves the full nested structure, including mixed arrays and mappings at any depth.
Runs entirely client-side, so configuration values never leave your browser.

Limitations

YAML-specific features with no direct PHP scalar equivalent (anchors, merge keys, custom tags) are resolved to their final values before conversion, the anchor/alias relationship itself isn't preserved in the PHP output.
Non-finite numbers (should any arise from unusual YAML input) are rendered as `null`, since PHP array literals can't contain `NAN` or `INF` as bare tokens.
The output is a single array expression; it does not wrap itself in `<?php ... ?>` tags or a `return` statement, since the right wrapper depends on how you intend to use the file.

Examples

A simple config mapping

Input

name: api
replicas: 3

Output

[
    'name' => 'api',
    'replicas' => 3,
]

Each YAML key becomes a PHP associative array entry with proper `=>` syntax.

A YAML list

Input

- admin
- editor

Output

[
    'admin',
    'editor',
]

Sequences become plain PHP arrays relying on implicit numeric indexing.

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Wrap the output in `return ...;` when using it as a standalone PHP config file that gets `include`d or `require`d.
Run the YAML through the formatter first if it's in flow style, so you can visually compare it to the PHP output while checking the conversion.
Double check any keys that look like they were meant to be integers, YAML and PHP both treat unquoted numeric-looking keys differently depending on context.

Developer Notes

Formatting logic is a hand-written recursive renderer, not a call into any PHP runtime, since this all happens in the browser. It intentionally mirrors `var_export()`'s single-quote-string convention rather than PHP's double-quoted strings, since single quotes need no interpolation-awareness and are the safer default for arbitrary data.

YAML to PHP Array Converter Use Cases

Migrating a YAML-based config file into a PHP framework's native array config format
Generating PHP fixture data from a YAML source used elsewhere in a project
Quickly previewing what a piece of YAML would look like as a PHP array during code review
Converting Kubernetes/Helm YAML values into PHP for a deployment tooling script

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to wrap the output in a `return` statement when using it as a PHP config file loaded via `include`.
Assuming numeric-looking YAML strings that were quoted in the source stay as PHP strings, they do, since quoting is preserved through the parse step.
Pasting the output somewhere expecting the older `array(...)` syntax; this tool always emits the short `[...]` form.

Tips

If the YAML source has anchors and aliases, resolve and review the parsed structure first (with YAML Editor) so you know exactly what will be duplicated in the PHP output.
Use Extract Keys from YAML first if you only want a subset of the document converted, then paste just that subset here.
For very large documents, consider Truncate YAML first to get a smaller, still-representative sample to convert.

YAML to PHP Array Converter