I suppose changing to a framework is easier now than it will be one year from now, when you have added more functionality. I think you should be pondering these factors:
- Options to evaluate.
- There are several nice frameworks with different goals and scopes out there. I would think of CGI::Application, Catalyst, Dancer, Mojolicious. I think you should set your list of options to evaluate.
- Platform.
- You are running CGI scripts. There might be an important compile-time penalty for some of the frameworks and you might need to consider going to a persistent environment (mod_perl, FastCGI)
- Provided infrastructure.
- Frameworks often offer some features or infrastructure that you probably already have. For example, session management, authentication and authorization methods, database connectivity. I think these infrastructure is the first thing you will need to migrate as it is needed before your business logic can be implemented. If you are using CPAN modules, chances are Catalyst and CGI::Application have plug-ins for them
- Learning curve and contractor availability.
- It should be wise to go with a framework with a large user base. You could find contractors with less effort, and it should be easier for them to understand your code.
Having said that, I am partial to CGI::Application. Once you settle your infrastructure needs, it should not be hard to move your business logic into the framework. Because it is quite lightweight, it would not hurt your current performance. And its learning curve is not bad at all.
Regards,
Julio Fraire
