MVC vs MVVM

Posted on

This article explain the difference between mvc and mvvm.

MVC (Model-View-Controller)

MVC is a widely used design pattern, especially in web applications. It divides the application into three interconnected components:

  • Model: Represents the data and business logic of the application. Manages the data, logic, and rules of the application.
  • View: Represents the UI components. Displays data from the model to the user and sends user commands to the controller.
  • Controller: Acts as an interface between Model and View. Processes user input, makes changes in the Model.

Example:

  • Model: Server-side database table Users and related business logic.
  • View: HTML + CSS page displaying user data.
  • Controller: Server-side script handling HTTP requests, interacting with Model, passing data to View.

MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel)

MVVM is primarily used in graphical user interfaces and introduces the ViewModel.

  • Model: Similar to MVC, it represents the data and the business logic.
  • View: Similar to MVC, represents the UI. The View is active; it updates itself if the ViewModel changes.
  • ViewModel: Serves as a middleman between the Model and the View. Transforms Model information into View-friendly data, implements properties, and commands for binding.

Example:

In a WPF application:

  • Model: Classes like User with properties (Name, Email).
  • View: XAML pages defining the UI.
  • ViewModel: C# class transforming Model data into View-friendly data, implements data binding.

Differences:

  1. Data Binding: MVVM relies on data binding, while MVC often requires manual updating of the View.
  2. Testability: MVVM enhances testability of UI logic, as ViewModel doesn’t need a View reference.
  3. Use Case: MVC is used for web applications, MVVM for desktop/mobile applications.
  4. Complexity: MVVM can be more complex due to data-binding but leads to cleaner separation of GUI and business logic.