What is an encoder in Symfony Serializer?

In a nutshell

An encoder is a class that converts PHP arrays into a data format like JSON or XML and vice-versa. It implements the EncoderInterface for encoding (array to format), and the DecoderInterface for decoding (format to array).

You can pass an array of encoders as the second argument to the Serializer constructor:

use Symfony\Component\Serializer\Encoder\JsonEncoder;
use Symfony\Component\Serializer\Encoder\XmlEncoder;
use Symfony\Component\Serializer\Serializer;

$encoders = [new XmlEncoder(), new JsonEncoder()];
$serializer = new Serializer([], $encoders);

Built-in encoders

The Symfony Serializer component provides several built-in encoders:

• JsonEncoder
• XmlEncoder
• YamlEncoder
• CsvEncoder

You can also create a custom encoder.

Sources

• Encoders – Symfony docs