How to store an array in a MySQL database using PHP?

Web Development
1

I want to store an array in a MySQL database, but I’m unsure which data type to use. Could someone help me understand which data type is best for storing an array in a MySQL database using PHP?

2

To store an array in a MySQL database using PHP, you need to serialize the array and store it as a string in a TEXT or LONGTEXT field. And when you retrieve the data from the database, you have to unserialize it and turn it array again from the string.

$array = array('apple', 'banana', 'cherry');
$serialized_array = serialize($array);

// Store < > Retrieve

$unserialized_array = unserialize($serialized_array);

Remember, other programming languages do not support serialize and unserialize and can lead to compatibility issues.

A better option is to use json_encode and json_decode, as this will give you a widely supported format that can be easily used with other programming languages.

$array = array('apple', 'banana', 'cherry');
$json = json_encode($array);

// Store < > Retrieve

$decoded_array = json_decode($json, true);