The actual application of the JsonSerializable::jsonSerialize function in Laravel

In PHP, the JsonSerializable interface is an important tool for handling object serialization to JSON. It allows objects to customize the behavior of JSON encoding, especially when using json_encode() . In the Laravel project, mastering how to correctly implement the JsonSerializable::jsonSerialize method can not only improve the flexibility of data transmission, but also make the API return structure more in line with business needs.

This article will take you to understand JsonSerializable in depth and use a Laravel practical case to show how to apply it to customize JSON output.

1. What is JsonSerializable?

JsonSerializable is an interface introduced in PHP 5.4 version, declaring a method:

 public function jsonSerialize();

The data returned by this method will be used as serialized by json_encode() . By implementing this interface, the class can fully control the data structure converted to JSON.

2. Why do you need to use JsonSerializable in Laravel project?

Laravel itself uses Eloquent ORM to process model data, and the model is usually automatically converted to JSON. But there are some scenarios you might want:

• Custom JSON returns fields and formats;

• Filter sensitive information (such as passwords, tokens);

• More flexible adjustment of structure when nesting associated data;

• Simplify the complexity of front-end processing.

At this time, JsonSerializable is very suitable.

3. Practical case: Implementing JsonSerializable in the Laravel model

Suppose we have a User model with fields:

• id

• name

• email

• password

• created_at

• updated_at

We hope:

• Hide password when output;

• Format created_at as a concise time string;

• Add a computed property profile_url .

1. Modify the User model to implement JsonSerializable

 <?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use JsonSerializable;

class User extends Model implements JsonSerializable
{
    // Allow batch assignment fields（As needed）
    protected $fillable = ['name', 'email', 'password'];

    // Fields that need to be hidden
    protected $hidden = ['password'];

    public function jsonSerialize()
    {
        return [
            'id' => $this->id,
            'name' => $this->name,
            'email' => $this->email,
            'created_at' => $this->created_at->format('Y-m-d H:i'),
            'profile_url' => url('gitbox.net/profile/' . $this->id),
        ];
    }
}

2. Return JSON in the controller

 <?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use App\Models\User;

class UserController extends Controller
{
    public function show($id)
    {
        $user = User::findOrFail($id);

        // Return to the object directly，Laravel Will call jsonSerialize Automatic serialization
        return response()->json($user);
    }
}

3. Routing configuration

 <?php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;
use App\Http\Controllers\UserController;

Route::get('user/{id}', [UserController::class, 'show']);

4. Example of operation results

Visit http://gitbox.net/user/1 to return:

 {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "Zhang San",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "created_at": "2025-05-25 10:30",
    "profile_url": "http://gitbox.net/profile/1"
}

You can see:

• The password field is hidden;

• created_at format beautified;

• Added profile_url field.

5. Summary

• The JsonSerializable interface allows you to fully control the behavior of model serialization to JSON;

• It is very convenient to use in combination with Eloquent in Laravel and has good compatibility;

• Suitable for API output customization, sensitive data protection, format uniformity and other scenarios;

• In conjunction with Laravel's response()->json() method, it is concise and intuitive.

If you need to have a finer granular control over JSON data structures, JsonSerializable::jsonSerialize is an indispensable tool.