What are the best practices for handling JSON data in PHP, especially when using file_get_contents()?

When handling JSON data in PHP, especially when using file_get_contents(), it is important to properly handle errors and exceptions that may occur during the process. One common best practice is to check if the JSON data is valid before attempting to decode it. Additionally, it is recommended to use try-catch blocks to catch any potential errors that may arise during the decoding process. 

$url = 'https://example.com/data.json';
$json = file_get_contents($url);

if($json === false){
    // Handle error loading JSON data
}

try {
    $data = json_decode($json);
    if($data === null){
        // Handle error decoding JSON data
    }
} catch (Exception $e) {
    // Handle any exceptions that occur during decoding
}

Keywords

JSON data handling PHP file_get_contents error handling

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