How Can I Efficiently Process Large JSON Files in PHP Without Memory Exhaustion?

Processing Large JSON Files Efficiently in PHP

When working with JSON files of significant size (up to 200MB), reading the entire file into memory as a PHP array becomes impractical. An efficient approach is to utilize streaming JSON parsing techniques to avoid consuming excessive memory.

JsonReader: A Streaming JSON Pull Parser for PHP

The pcrov/JsonReader library offers a streaming JSON pull parser for PHP 7. Unlike event-based parsers, JsonReader provides a simple API that allows developers to move along the JSON stream and retrieve data as needed. This approach grants greater control over the parsing process and minimizes memory consumption.

Example: Reading Objects as Whole Units

$reader = new JsonReader();
$reader->open("data.json");

$reader->read(); // Outer array
$depth = $reader->depth();
$reader->read(); // First object

while ($reader->next() && $reader->depth() > $depth) {
    print_r($reader->value()); // Process each object
}

$reader->close();

Example: Reading Properties Individually

$reader->json($json);

while ($reader->read()) {
    if ($reader->name() !== null) {
        echo "{$reader->name()}: {$reader->value()}\n";
    }
}

$reader->close();

Example: Reading Properties with Duplicate Names

$json = '[{"property":"value", "property2":"value2"}, {"foo":"foo", "foo":"bar"}]';

$reader = new JsonReader();
$reader->json($json);

while ($reader->read("foo")) {
    echo "{$reader->name()}: {$reader->value()}\n";
}

$reader->close();

Additional Options

Choosing the optimal JSON parsing approach depends on the structure of the file and the processing requirements. JsonReader also supports reading properties from a given depth or by a regular expression, providing further flexibility for complex data structures.

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