Zend Framework is it worth it? [closed]

Question

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?

Answer 1

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.