How can PHP developers efficiently store API query results in an array for future reference in their applications?

When working with APIs, PHP developers can efficiently store API query results in an array for future reference in their applications by using PHP's built-in functions like json_decode() to convert the API response into an associative array. This allows developers to easily access and manipulate the data as needed without making repeated API calls.

// Sample API query
$api_url = 'https://api.example.com/data';
$response = file_get_contents($api_url);

// Convert API response to an associative array
$data = json_decode($response, true);

// Store the data in an array for future reference
$api_data = $data['results'];

// Accessing the stored API data
echo $api_data['key1'];
echo $api_data['key2'];