PHP proposal would add separate switches for relaxed JSON input
An RFC under discussion proposes separate opt-in flags for comments and trailing commas in PHP's json_decode() and json_validate().
JSON_ALLOW_COMMENTS would accept line and block comments, while JSON_ALLOW_TRAILING_COMMAS would allow a final comma in non-empty arrays or objects. Strict JSON would remain the default, and json_encode() would be unchanged.
Otar Chekurishvili has opened a PHP Internals discussion for the proposal. It follows an earlier pre-RFC thread and remains under discussion.
JSON_ALLOW_COMMENTS would permit // line comments and /* block comments */ in input handled by json_decode() and json_validate(). JSON_ALLOW_TRAILING_COMMAS would accept one comma after the final item in a non-empty array or object. Strict JSON remains the default. json_encode() is outside the change.
The RFC compares the proposal with JSON5, JSONC and JWCC. JSONC is still a draft specification, and its treatment of trailing commas is optional. A single JSON_ALLOW_JSONC flag appears among the rejected features. The document also includes test results and performance measurements.
The implementation is available in php-src pull request 23336. Voting is split into two primary votes, one for each flag, and each vote requires a two-thirds majority. Tim Düsterhus called the reasoning behind the rejected JSONC flag solid and the RFC itself well written. He also asked for the discussion-thread link to be added to its header.
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