  We give a simple derivation of the Higgs mechanism in an abelian light front
field theory. It is based on a finite volume quantization with antiperiodic
scalar fields and a periodic gauge field. An infinite set of degenerate vacua
in the form of coherent states of the scalar field that minimize the light
front energy, is constructed. The corresponding effective Hamiltonian descibes
a massive vector field whose third component is generated by the would-be
Goldstone boson. This mechanism, understood here quantum mechanically in the
form analogous to the space-like quantization, is derived without gauge fixing
as well as in the unitary and the light cone gauge.
