What is the significance of using json_decode() in this PHP code snippet?

The significance of using json_decode() in this PHP code snippet is to convert a JSON string into a PHP array or object. This function is necessary when working with JSON data in PHP, as it allows you to easily access and manipulate the data within the JSON string.

// JSON string to be decoded
$jsonString = '{"name": "John", "age": 30, "city": "New York"}';

// Decode the JSON string into a PHP array
$data = json_decode($jsonString, true);

// Accessing the decoded data
echo $data['name']; // Output: John
echo $data['age']; // Output: 30
echo $data['city']; // Output: New York