  We address problems associated with compactification near and on the light
front. In perturbative scalar field theory we illustrate and clarify the
relationships among three approaches: (1) quantization on a space-like surface
close to a light front; (2) infinite momentum frame calculations; and (3)
quantization on the light front. Our examples emphasize the difference between
zero modes in space-like quantization and those in light front quantization. In
particular, in perturbative calculations of scalar field theory using
discretized light cone quantization there are well-known ``zero-mode induced''
interaction terms. However, we show that they decouple in the continuum limit
and covariant answers are reproduced. Thus compactification of a light-like
surface is feasible and defines a consistent field theory.
