Deciding When to Create an MVC Application

You must consider carefully whether to implement a Web application by using either the ASP.NET MVC framework or the ASP.NET Web Forms model. The MVC framework does not replace the Web Forms model; you can use either framework for Web applications. (If you have existing Web Forms-based applications, these continue to work exactly as they always have.)

Before you decide to use the MVC framework or the Web Forms model for a specific Web site, weigh the advantages of each approach.

Advantages of an MVC-Based Web Application

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. For more information, see Front Controller on the MSDN Web site.
* It provides better support for test-driven development (TDD).
* It works well for Web applications that are supported by large teams of developers and Web designers who need a high degree of control over the application behavior.


Advantages of a Web Forms-Based Web Application

The Web Forms-based framework offers the following advantages:

* It supports an event model that preserves state over HTTP, which benefits line-of-business Web application development. The Web Forms-based application provides dozens of events that are supported in hundreds of server controls.
* It uses a Page Controller pattern that adds functionality to individual pages. For more information, see Page Controller on the MSDN Web site.
* It uses view state or server-based forms, which can make managing state information easier.
* It works well for small teams of Web developers and designers who want to take advantage of the large number of components available for rapid application development.
* In general, it is less complex for application development, because the components (the Page class, controls, and so on) are tightly integrated and usually require less code than the MVC model.