PHP Serialize / Unserialize

PHP Serialization is PHP's built-in mechanism to convert complex data structures (arrays, objects, strings) into a storable string format. The serialize() function converts a PHP value to a string representation, and unserialize() restores it back to a PHP value.

Serialized strings use a compact format: s:4:"John" means a string of length 4 with value "John", i:30 means integer 30, a:3:{...} means an array with 3 elements, and b:1 means boolean true.

PHP Serialization Format

• Strings: s:length:"value"; — e.g., s:4:"John";
• Integers: i:number; — e.g., i:30;
• Floats: d:number; — e.g., d:3.14;
• Booleans: b:1; (true) or b:0; (false)
• Null: N;
• Arrays: a:count:{key;value;...} — sequential and associative
• Objects: O:class_length:"class_name":num_props:{...}

1. Serialize — Enter a PHP variable in JSON format in the left panel, then click Serialize to convert it to a PHP serialized string.
2. Unserialize — Paste a PHP serialized string in the right panel, then click Unserialize to decode it back to readable format.
3. Swap & Clear — Click Swap to exchange serialize/unserialize values, Clear All to reset everything.

• Debugging serialized data — Inspect PHP serialized strings from databases, caches, or session data to understand their structure.
• Data migration — Convert serialized PHP data when migrating between systems or upgrading PHP versions.
• API development — Generate serialized PHP strings for testing PHP applications that use serialization for data exchange.
• Security analysis — Examine serialized objects for potential PHP object injection vulnerabilities.
• WordPress & CMS debugging — Decode serialized data stored in WordPress options, post meta, or other CMS databases.