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I am building an application using the Zend Framework and I wonder if this framework is a bit too bloated or over done. Maybe its the way I am tackling the problem but I see that using this framework forces me to write so much more code.
Any suggestions or advice?
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When it comes to PHP frameworks, Zend is counted among the best. Zend Framework offers lots of benefits for creating feature-rich and dynamic web solutions. MVC features and a strong component library have made Zend a popular PHP framework for creating a myriad of web solutions.
No, Zend Framework is not dead. It has essentially been rebranded as the Laminas Project under the Linux Foundation. The code is available today. All of the versions from 2.0 forward of the Zend Framework project, including Zend MVC applications.
Laravel has a steep learning curve to master the framework, whereas Zend has a hard learning curve and takes time to implement. Laravel has poor performance and speed compared to Zend, whereas Zend improves application performance and provides a good response for the server request.
Zend Framework is not hard, it requires a bit of time to learn, due to bad documentation, but I can ensure you, that it is a very powerful framework. We've build big enterprise software on ZF2, and the flexibility on configuration is extraordinary in ZF.
ZF components are excellent for targeted tasks - e.g. Zend_Oauth, Zend_Pdf, Zend_Gdata, etc. You can use them for achieving these tasks even while not basing your application on ZF MVC structure, and I definitely advise you to do so (disclaimer: I am a contributor to ZF so I can be subjective).
As for the big ZF stuff like Zend_Application, Zend_View, etc. - that depends on your need and style. For a big project, I'd say go for it, it may seem big in the beginning but you'll end up with something roughly that big in any case.
If, on the other hand, you have a smaller project, then you may consider using something simple or maybe no framework at all - but beware, some small projects grow big faster than you expect.
Looking at your comment that you are building ticketing system and CMS, it looks like it's big enough for a framework. Give ZF a try. Start with smaller, simpler examples, using a good book and some example code may be very helpful too. When you get into the mindset you'll discover it's not actually as bloated as you thought - it just has more functionality and extension points, but you will discover you may need that functionality down the road.
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