List of the Top 13 JSON Editors for PHP in 2025

VSCode represents a groundbreaking shift in the realm of code editing, being entirely free, open-source, and available across multiple operating systems. Beyond basic syntax highlighting and autocomplete features, it incorporates IntelliSense, which offers smart suggestions tailored to the types of variables, function definitions, and imported modules you are using. The editor also allows you to debug your code seamlessly, enabling you to either launch or connect to your running applications while utilizing breakpoints, call stacks, and an interactive console for a more thorough analysis. Integrating with Git and other source control management (SCM) systems has never been easier; you can inspect differences, stage files, and commit changes directly from the editor interface. Effortlessly pushing and pulling changes from any hosted SCM service adds to the convenience. If you're seeking more features, you can enhance your VSCode experience with extensions that bring in new programming languages, themes, debuggers, and connections to a wide array of services. These extensions function in separate processes, ensuring that they do not compromise the performance of your editor. The potential for customization through extensions is virtually limitless. Additionally, with the support of Microsoft Azure, you can effectively deploy and host diverse websites developed using frameworks like React, Angular, Vue, and Node, while having the capability to manage both relational and document-based data seamlessly, enabling effortless scalability through serverless computing options. This robust integration not only optimizes your development workflow but also significantly boosts your overall productivity, making VSCode an indispensable tool for developers.

Apache NetBeans is a robust open-source Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that facilitates application development across various programming languages, including Java, JavaScript, PHP, HTML5, and C/C++. Known for its modular architecture, NetBeans offers developers an array of tools and functionalities tailored for crafting desktop, mobile, and web applications. It features sophisticated code editing, debugging, and profiling capabilities, along with an integrated visual GUI builder that streamlines the design of user interfaces specifically for Java applications. Furthermore, the IDE integrates effortlessly with version control systems such as Git, SVN, and Mercurial, thereby fostering collaboration within development teams. As a project under the auspices of the Apache Software Foundation, NetBeans undergoes continuous enhancement by a committed community, ensuring its capabilities remain current and effective. This ongoing development makes NetBeans not only a reliable tool but also a highly flexible option for developers in various sectors. The combination of its comprehensive features and strong community support enables NetBeans to appeal to both beginners and experienced developers, who appreciate its versatility and user-friendly design. Ultimately, the IDE's commitment to innovation ensures it remains a relevant choice in the ever-evolving landscape of software development.

Atom is a contemporary text editor designed for the digital age, built on the Electron framework and influenced by the features we love in our favorite editing applications. It prioritizes extensive customization while keeping its default configuration user-friendly. As an essential part of a developer's toolkit, a text editor works in tandem with other tools rather than operating independently. With the built-in GitHub package, managing your Git and GitHub workflows is effortless within Atom—allowing you to create branches, stage and commit changes, push and pull updates, resolve merge conflicts, and review pull requests, all from inside the editor. This package is pre-installed, so you can dive right in! Atom supports a range of operating systems, such as OS X, Windows, and Linux, promoting broad accessibility. You can quickly search for and install new packages or create your own directly from the editor, enhancing its versatility. Moreover, Atom boosts your coding productivity with an intelligent autocomplete feature and allows you to browse and open individual files, entire projects, or multiple projects in one window, making it a multifaceted choice for developers. With its user-centric design, Atom aims to streamline the coding process, catering to both beginners and seasoned developers, ultimately fostering a more efficient coding environment. This adaptability ensures that no matter your skill level, you can find the tools and features that best suit your workflow.

Geany is a powerful, efficient, and lightweight text editor tailored for programmers, packed with features that boost productivity without hindering the user experience. It runs seamlessly on Linux, Windows, and MacOS, offering support for over 40 languages and natively accommodating more than 50 programming languages. The creation of Geany was inspired by the need for a versatile, user-friendly, and cross-platform IDE/editor that merges flexibility with robust capabilities. While there are many editors on the market, few successfully address the broad spectrum of user needs that Geany fulfills. Distributed under the GPL v2 license, it empowers users to modify and enhance the software, fostering a community where everyone can reap the benefits of these improvements. Geany's highly customizable features, such as its unique color themes (known as Geany Themes) and the option to introduce new file types, cater to a wide array of user tastes. Users also enjoy a multitude of settings that allow for deep personalization, ensuring that their specific requirements are met, particularly for popular programming languages such as C, Java, PHP, HTML, and JavaScript. Ultimately, Geany serves as an attractive solution for developers who seek a dependable tool that skillfully balances simplicity with extensive functionality, making it a top choice in the world of code editors. Moreover, the ongoing development and active community support further enhance its appeal, ensuring that it continues to evolve with the needs of modern programmers.

Zed is a sophisticated code editor designed to foster smooth collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence, with a strong focus on performance optimization. Constructed entirely in Rust, it leverages the power of multiple CPU cores and GPU resources to enable the incorporation of advanced language models into your coding processes, facilitating tasks like code generation, transformation, and thorough analysis. The platform promotes instantaneous communication among team members, offering features for collaborative note-taking, screen sharing, and effective project management. With its innovative multibuffer system, users can edit chosen snippets from the entire codebase within a unified interface, enhancing convenience and workflow. Additionally, it incorporates inline code execution through Jupyter runtimes, which allows for collaborative editing of notebooks. Zed is versatile and supports a plethora of programming languages, made possible by the integration of Tree-sitter, WebAssembly, and the Language Server Protocol. Its fast native terminal works in conjunction with Zed's intelligent task runner and AI capabilities, significantly boosting productivity. The editor also supports advanced modal editing through Vim bindings, featuring tools like text objects and marks, which contribute to efficient navigation. Developed by a large and diverse global community of thousands of programmers, Zed invites users to improve their experience with a vast selection of extensions that enhance language functionalities, introduce various themes, and much more. Moreover, its intuitive design is crafted to simplify development workflows, making it a premier option for programmers eager to maximize their coding efficiency while enjoying a collaborative environment. Ultimately, Zed stands out by combining cutting-edge technology with user-centered features to transform the coding experience.

Eclipse Theia enables the development of multi-language IDEs for both Cloud and Desktop environments, utilizing cutting-edge web technologies. If you're uncertain about whether to opt for a desktop or web-based solution, Theia empowers you to build a single IDE that can operate seamlessly in web browsers or as a native desktop application, all from one codebase. Managed by the Eclipse Foundation, a non-profit organization, Theia is cultivated by a wide-ranging community of contributors. Unlike many other open-source projects, those hosted under an Open-Source Foundation enjoy protection from unilateral vendor decisions that could negatively impact the interests of the community. Theia's modular architecture permits users to tailor and enhance every facet of the IDE. Creating a customized IDE-like product is straightforward; you just need to specify the necessary extensions in a package.json file. Adding new features is also a breeze, as you can implement your extensions with ease, providing you with unparalleled flexibility in your development process. This adaptability makes it an excellent choice for developers looking to innovate and refine their tools.

Typora delivers a seamless experience for its users, functioning effectively as both a writing and reading platform. By removing the need for a preview pane, mode switcher, or markdown syntax symbols, it minimizes unnecessary distractions. Instead, it offers a live preview feature that helps you concentrate entirely on your content. The software simplifies file management with an easily navigable file tree and an article list panel, allowing you to organize files according to your needs, including integration with services like Dropbox or iCloud. You can quickly view the outline of your documents in the outline panel, making it easy to navigate your work with just a click to any desired section. Moreover, Typora enables you to export your documents to PDF, complete with bookmarks for better organization. You can also boost your productivity by importing and exporting a variety of formats, such as docx, OpenOffice, LaTeX, MediaWiki, and Epub. Furthermore, it allows you to monitor your document's length in terms of words, characters, lines, or estimated reading time, providing essential insights into your writing process. With such robust features, Typora stands out as a versatile and potent tool for anyone engaged in writing or content creation, ensuring that users can focus on their craft with minimal interruptions. Ultimately, this functionality positions Typora as a valuable asset in the realm of digital writing tools.

Built from scratch, JetBrains Fleet leverages twenty years of expertise in developing integrated development environments (IDEs). It employs the powerful IntelliJ code-processing engine, boasting a distributed architecture alongside a modern user interface tailored for today's developers. The primary objective behind Fleet was to design a fast and effective text editor that facilitates rapid code browsing and editing. It opens almost instantaneously, allowing users to commence their tasks without any interruptions, and it possesses the ability to transform into a comprehensive IDE, with the IntelliJ engine functioning separately from the editing interface. Fleet includes all the popular features associated with IntelliJ-based IDEs, including context-specific code completion, straightforward navigation to definitions and usages, real-time evaluations of code quality, and handy quick-fixes. The thoughtful architecture of Fleet is crafted to support a range of configurations and workflows, which means it can operate locally on your device or delegate certain processes to the cloud, highlighting its adaptability for various development tasks. This inherent flexibility guarantees that developers can select the configuration that aligns perfectly with their workflow preferences, ultimately enhancing productivity levels. In a landscape where efficiency is paramount, Fleet stands out as a tool that can evolve alongside the needs of the developer.

Helix Editor is a cutting-edge text editing tool specifically designed for developers seeking a fast, customizable, and efficient editing experience. Prioritizing productivity, it utilizes a modal editing style similar to Vim, allowing users to navigate, select, and modify text easily using intuitive keyboard shortcuts. Its rich array of features includes syntax highlighting, multi-caret editing, and support for various programming languages like Rust, Python, and JavaScript. Additionally, Helix integrates the Tree-sitter parsing library to provide syntax-aware editing capabilities, which enhances the handling of complex code structures. The clean and organized interface, paired with a strong focus on performance, positions Helix Editor as an outstanding option for developers who appreciate both speed and flexibility in their workflows. In essence, this editor cultivates a highly efficient coding atmosphere, enabling programmers to engage deeply with their tasks while minimizing interruptions for a more productive coding session. As a result, Helix Editor not only enhances individual productivity but also contributes to a more enjoyable development experience overall.

Honestly, it appears that Mac applications are gradually becoming less prominent. There are compelling reasons for the popularity of cross-platform applications, mainly their flexibility, but this approach doesn’t resonate with our fundamental values. Since our inception as a Mac software developer in 1997, the team at Panic has derived immense satisfaction from crafting products that truly reflect the spirit of the Mac experience. Years ago, we launched Coda, a revolutionary all-in-one web editor tailored specifically for Mac users. As we set out to create Nova, we took a fresh look at the evolving web landscape and acknowledged the necessity for a fresh start. This realization led us to create a state-of-the-art text editor that is not only entirely new but also exceptionally fast and versatile, featuring essential tools like intelligent autocomplete, multiple cursors, a Minimap, editor overscroll, and tag pairs and brackets, among many other functionalities. For developers keen on utilizing it, Nova features integrated support for a myriad of programming languages including CoffeeScript, CSS, Diff, ERB, Haml, HTML, INI, JavaScript, JSON, JSX, Less, Lua, Markdown, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, Sass, SCSS, Smarty, SQL, TSX, TypeScript, XML, and YAML. This comprehensive language support guarantees that developers are equipped with all the necessary tools to work effectively and efficiently in various coding environments, ensuring their creativity knows no bounds.

jEdit is a prominent text editor tailored for programmers, with a development background that spans numerous person-years, particularly due to the extensive contributions made through its plugins. This powerful editor offers features that outshine many expensive alternatives while remaining completely free and open-source under the GPL 2.0 license. It comes equipped with a built-in macro language and a flexible architecture that allows for easy plugin integration, with countless macros and plugins available for download. Users can conveniently manage their plugins via the "plugin manager" feature, which simplifies the installation process. Furthermore, jEdit accommodates a broad range of character encodings, including UTF-8 and Unicode, enhancing its adaptability. The editor is also highly configurable and customizable, encompassing both fundamental and advanced functionalities one would expect from a contemporary text editor. This versatility ensures that jEdit caters to the varied requirements of its user base. Consequently, jEdit emerges as an enticing option for developers looking for a powerful yet user-friendly tool to assist them in their programming endeavors, making it a staple in the realm of software development.

RunCode provides online workspaces designed for coding projects that can be accessed directly through a web browser. Each workspace features a fully equipped development environment, which consists of a code editor, a terminal, and a selection of various tools and libraries. Users will find these workspaces to be user-friendly, and they can be conveniently configured on personal computers. Additionally, the flexibility of these online environments allows for seamless collaboration among team members, enhancing productivity and efficiency.

CudaText is a flexible text editor that works seamlessly across different operating systems and is crafted using Object Pascal. Being an open-source project, it allows users to access its extensive features without any cost, even for commercial use. When run on a Linux system with an Intel Core i3 3GHz processor, the application starts up swiftly and operates smoothly. Users can further extend its capabilities through Python-based add-ons, plugins, linters, and various external tools, making it incredibly versatile for various tasks. The syntax parser, driven by the EControl engine, is highly effective and accommodates over 270 programming languages with comprehensive syntax highlighting. It also facilitates the display of code structures such as functions and classes, depending on the lexer’s features. Among its many capabilities are code folding, support for multiple carets and selections, as well as sophisticated find and replace functions that leverage regular expressions. Configuration settings are conveniently stored in JSON format, allowing for specific lexer adjustments. The user interface is organized into tabs and offers options for split views and windows, enabling users to manage up to six groups of tabs simultaneously. A command palette featuring fuzzy matching improves navigation, while a minimap and micromap assist in text manipulation. CudaText also highlights unprinted whitespace and supports a broad range of encodings, catering to various user preferences. In addition to customizable hotkeys, it includes a binary/hex viewer adept at processing files of nearly any size, making it especially beneficial for examining large log files that can reach up to 10 GB. The integration of these features positions CudaText as an exceptional tool for both programmers and writers, enhancing productivity in coding and writing endeavors. Its adaptability and extensive feature set ensure that it remains a popular choice in the text editing landscape.