: ionCube doesn't just "scramble" text; it compiles PHP into custom bytecode

There are several free IonCube decoders available online, but we recommend using the ( PHP 7.4 compatible). This script can decode IonCube encoded files, and it's free to use.

ionCube Loader - A website add-on for running ionCube encoded files

; the Loader does not give you back the original source code, it only lets the server "read" it to run the website. Decoding/Decompilation:

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Prevention is best. Always keep your unencoded source in a private Git repository.

The safest route is reaching out to the original author for the source files.