Model-view-controller (MVC) is a programming pattern that is used in application developing and software engineering. Its most popular form of use is in web development. You can find a framework that utilizes the MVC pattern for almost any programming language, from Python to .Net to Ruby. That said, here is what you need to know about MVC:
- Separation of interface and logic layers. This makes it easier to modify applications that are built with MVC because you only have to deal with one layer at a time, so fewer parts of the application are affected by changes during the editing process.
- Preconfigured frameworks. MVC frameworks typically come pre-configured with the logic and presentation layers separated for a better organized and more efficient application. This helps make the code more testable, which ultimately leads to a higher quality and more reliable product.
- Less code to write. Most developers write the same code over and over, repurposing it on different sites. MVC frameworks often provide a lot of the boilerplate code that developers find themselves writing and re-writing. That way, you can build the same application faster and with less code, which leads to quicker turnover.
- Serious flexibility. MVC frameworks can be added to a directory of any existing site for things like custom-built blog engines. They also come set up with the ability to add new technology to the application, or add any third-party software you desire.
- URLs primed for SEO. MVC frameworks tend to use some form of URL
rerouting, offering ways to create clean custom URLs and even add
special URL treatments per site or page. Cleaner URLs lead to better
search engine optimization. Who doesn’t like that?
A lot of applications are currently powered by some sort of MVC framework, and I’m willing to bet that one exists for your language of choice. Microsoft is coming out with a MVC framework soon called ASP.Net MVC, so rest assured you’ll be seeing much more MVC in the future.
Thanks to John French for contributing valuable insight to this article.