Generating Fake Data in PHP with Faker

Faker is a PHP library that generates fake data for you. Whether you need to bootstrap your database, create good-looking XML documents, fill-in your persistence to stress test it, or anonymize data taken from a production service, Faker is for you.

In this short source code explained tutorial, we’ll show you how to create fake data, Faker Formatters and provide some real life examples.

Create fake data

Use Faker\Factory::create() to create and initialize a faker generator, which can generate data by accessing properties named after the type of data you want.

<?php
// use the factory to create a Faker\Generator instance
$faker = Faker\Factory::create();

// generate data by accessing properties
echo $faker->name;
  // 'Lucy Cechtelar';
echo $faker->address;
  // "426 Jordy Lodge
  // Cartwrightshire, SC 88120-6700"
echo $faker->text;
  // Dolores sit sint laboriosam dolorem culpa et autem. Beatae nam sunt fugit
  // et sit et mollitia sed.
  // Fuga deserunt tempora facere magni omnis. Omnis quia temporibus laudantium
  // sit minima sint.

<?php
for ($i = 0; $i < 10; $i++) {
  echo $faker->name, "\n";
}
  // Adaline Reichel
  // Dr. Santa Prosacco DVM
  // Noemy Vandervort V
  // Lexi O'Conner
  // Gracie Weber
  // Roscoe Johns
  // Emmett Lebsack
  // Keegan Thiel
  // Wellington Koelpin II
  // Ms. Karley Kiehn V

Faker Formatters

Each of the generator properties (like name, address, and lorem) are called “formatters”. A faker generator has many of them, packaged in “providers”. Here is a list of the bundled formatters in the default locale.

Faker is bundled with the following formatters;

• Base
• Lorem Ipsum Text
• Person
• Address
• Phone Number
• Company
• Real Text
• Date and Time
• Internet
• User Agent
• Payment
• Color
• File
• Image
• Uuid
• Barcode
• Miscellaneous
• Biased
• Html Lorem

title($gender = null|'male'|'female')     // 'Ms.'
titleMale                                 // 'Mr.'
titleFemale                               // 'Ms.'
suffix                                    // 'Jr.'
name($gender = null|'male'|'female')      // 'Dr. Zane Stroman'
firstName($gender = null|'male'|'female') // 'Maynard'
firstNameMale                             // 'Maynard'
firstNameFemale                           // 'Rachel'
lastName                                  // 'Zulauf'

Real World Example of Faker for PHP In action

The following script generates a valid XML document:

<?php
require_once '/path/to/Faker/src/autoload.php';
$faker = Faker\Factory::create();
?>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<contacts>
<?php for ($i = 0; $i < 10; $i++): ?>
  <contact firstName="<?php echo $faker->firstName ?>" lastName="<?php echo $faker->lastName ?>" email="<?php echo $faker->email ?>">
    <phone number="<?php echo $faker->phoneNumber ?>"/>
<?php if ($faker->boolean(25)): ?>
    <birth date="<?php echo $faker->dateTimeThisCentury->format('Y-m-d') ?>" place="<?php echo $faker->city ?>"/>
<?php endif; ?>
    <address>
      <street><?php echo $faker->streetAddress ?></street>
      <city><?php echo $faker->city ?></city>
      <postcode><?php echo $faker->postcode ?></postcode>
      <state><?php echo $faker->state ?></state>
    </address>
    <company name="<?php echo $faker->company ?>" catchPhrase="<?php echo $faker->catchPhrase ?>">
<?php if ($faker->boolean(33)): ?>
      <offer><?php echo $faker->bs ?></offer>
<?php endif; ?>
<?php if ($faker->boolean(33)): ?>
      <director name="<?php echo $faker->name ?>" />
<?php endif; ?>
    </company>
<?php if ($faker->boolean(15)): ?>
    <details>
<![CDATA[
<?php echo $faker->text(400) ?>
]]>
    </details>
<?php endif; ?>
  </contact>
<?php endfor; ?>
</contacts>

This is the output of running the code, shown above.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<contacts>
  <contact firstName="Ona" lastName="Bednar" email="schamberger.frank@wuckert.com">
    <phone number="1-265-479-1196x714"/>
    <address>
      <street>182 Harrison Cove</street>
      <city>North Lloyd</city>
      <postcode>45577</postcode>
      <state>Alabama</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Veum, Funk and Shanahan" catchPhrase="Function-based stable solution">
      <offer>orchestrate compelling web-readiness</offer>
    </company>
    <details>
<![CDATA[
Alias accusantium voluptatum autem nobis cumque neque modi. Voluptatem error molestiae consequatur alias.
Illum commodi molestiae aut repellat id. Et sit consequuntur aut et ullam asperiores. Cupiditate culpa voluptatem et mollitia dolor. Nisi praesentium qui ut.
]]>
    </details>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Aurelie" lastName="Paucek" email="alfonzo55@durgan.com">
    <phone number="863.712.1363x9425"/>
    <address>
      <street>90111 Hegmann Inlet</street>
      <city>South Geovanymouth</city>
      <postcode>69961-9311</postcode>
      <state>Colorado</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Krajcik-Grimes" catchPhrase="Switchable cohesive instructionset">
    </company>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Clifton" lastName="Kshlerin" email="kianna.wiegand@framiwyman.info">
    <phone number="692-194-4746"/>
    <address>
      <street>9791 Nona Corner</street>
      <city>Harberhaven</city>
      <postcode>74062-8191</postcode>
      <state>RhodeIsland</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Rosenbaum-Aufderhar" catchPhrase="Realigned asynchronous encryption">
    </company>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Alexandre" lastName="Orn" email="thelma37@erdmancorwin.biz">
    <phone number="189.655.8677x027"/>
    <address>
      <street>11161 Schultz Via</street>
      <city>Feilstad</city>
      <postcode>98019</postcode>
      <state>NewJersey</state>
    </address>
    <company name="O'Hara-Prosacco" catchPhrase="Re-engineered solution-oriented algorithm">
      <director name="Dr. Berenice Auer V" />
    </company>
    <details>
<![CDATA[
Ut itaque et quaerat doloremque eum praesentium. Rerum in saepe dolorem. Explicabo qui consequuntur commodi minima rem.
Harum temporibus rerum dolores. Non molestiae id dolorem placeat.
Aut asperiores nihil eius repellendus. Vero nihil corporis voluptatem explicabo commodi. Occaecati omnis blanditiis beatae quod aspernatur eos.
]]>
    </details>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Katelynn" lastName="Kohler" email="reinger.trudie@stiedemannjakubowski.com">
    <phone number="(665)713-1657"/>
    <address>
      <street>6106 Nader Village Suite 753</street>
      <city>McLaughlinstad</city>
      <postcode>43189-8621</postcode>
      <state>Missouri</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Herman-Tremblay" catchPhrase="Object-based explicit service-desk">
      <offer>expedite viral synergies</offer>
      <director name="Arden Deckow" />
    </company>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Blanca" lastName="Stark" email="tad27@feest.net">
    <phone number="168.719.4692x87177"/>
    <address>
      <street>7546 Kuvalis Plaza</street>
      <city>South Wilfrid</city>
      <postcode>77069</postcode>
      <state>Georgia</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Upton, Braun and Rowe" catchPhrase="Visionary leadingedge pricingstructure">
    </company>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Rene" lastName="Spencer" email="anibal28@armstrong.info">
    <phone number="715.222.0095x175"/>
    <birth date="2008-08-07" place="Zulaufborough"/>
    <address>
      <street>478 Daisha Landing Apt. 510</street>
      <city>West Lizethhaven</city>
      <postcode>30566-5362</postcode>
      <state>WestVirginia</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Wiza Inc" catchPhrase="Persevering reciprocal approach">
      <offer>orchestrate dynamic networks</offer>
      <director name="Erwin Nienow" />
    </company>
    <details>
<![CDATA[
Dolorem consequatur voluptates unde optio unde. Accusantium dolorem est est architecto impedit. Corrupti et provident quo.
Reprehenderit dolores aut quidem suscipit repudiandae corporis error. Molestiae enim aperiam illo.
Et similique qui non expedita quia dolorum. Ex rem incidunt ea accusantium temporibus minus non.
]]>
    </details>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Alessandro" lastName="Hagenes" email="tbreitenberg@oharagorczany.com">
    <phone number="1-284-958-6768"/>
    <address>
      <street>1251 Koelpin Mission</street>
      <city>North Revastad</city>
      <postcode>81620</postcode>
      <state>Maryland</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Stiedemann-Bruen" catchPhrase="Re-engineered 24/7 success">
    </company>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Novella" lastName="Rutherford" email="claud65@bogisich.biz">
    <phone number="(091)825-7971"/>
    <address>
      <street>6396 Langworth Hills Apt. 446</street>
      <city>New Carlos</city>
      <postcode>89399-0268</postcode>
      <state>Wyoming</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Stroman-Legros" catchPhrase="Expanded 4thgeneration moratorium">
      <director name="Earlene Bayer" />
    </company>
  </contact>
  <contact firstName="Andreane" lastName="Mann" email="meggie17@ornbaumbach.com">
    <phone number="941-659-9982x5689"/>
    <birth date="1934-02-21" place="Stantonborough"/>
    <address>
      <street>2246 Kreiger Station Apt. 291</street>
      <city>Kaydenmouth</city>
      <postcode>11397-1072</postcode>
      <state>Wyoming</state>
    </address>
    <company name="Lebsack, Bernhard and Kiehn" catchPhrase="Persevering actuating framework">
      <offer>grow sticky portals</offer>
    </company>
    <details>
<![CDATA[
Quia dolor ut quia error libero. Enim facilis iusto earum et minus rerum assumenda. Quia doloribus et reprehenderit ut. Occaecati voluptatum dolor voluptatem vitae qui velit quia.
Fugiat non in itaque sunt nobis totam. Sed nesciunt est deleniti cumque alias. Repudiandae quo aut numquam modi dicta libero.
]]>
    </details>
  </contact>
</contacts>

Tags: Faker PHP, Generating Data, Fake Data, Dummy Data, Software Testing, Test Data

License: MIT License