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In 60 Seconds... ASP.NET 3.5: What is MVC?

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The Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern is an architectural design principle that separates the components of a Web application. This separation gives you more control over the individual parts of the application, which lets you more easily develop, modify, and test them. ASP.NET MVC is part of the ASP.NET framework.

The MVC framework includes the following components:

  • Models: Parts of the application that implement the logic for the application's data domain. For example, a Product object might retrieve information from a database, operate on it, and then write updated information back to a Products table in a SQL Server database.
  • Views: Components that display the application's user interface (UI). An example would be an edit view of a Products table that displays text boxes, drop-down lists, and check boxes based on the current state of a Product object.
  • Controllers: Components that handle user interaction, work with the model, and ultimately select a view to render that displays UI. For example, the controller handles query-string values, and passes these values to the model, which in turn might use these values to query the database.

The ASP.NET MVC framework offers the following advantages:

  • It makes it easier to manage complexity by dividing an application into the model, the view, and the controller.
  • It does not use view state or server-based forms. This makes the MVC framework ideal for developers who want full control over the behavior of an application.
  • It uses a Front Controller pattern that processes Web application requests through a single controller. This enables you to design an application that supports a rich routing infrastructure.
  • It provides better support for test-driven development (TDD).
  • It works well for Web applications that are supported by large teams of developers and for Web designers who need a high degree of control over the application behavior.

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