It requires a closed-source PHP extension (the IonCube Loader) to decrypt and execute the code on the fly.
This is the most common result. Many repositories claim to be "IonCube v12 Decoders" but contain: Ioncube Decoder Github
These are repositories like php-deobfuscator . They don't actually "decode" IonCube. Instead, they help clean up code that has already been partially recovered or handle simpler protection methods like base64_encode or gzinflate . 2. The "Fake" or Malicious Repos It requires a closed-source PHP extension (the IonCube