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What is the difference between MVC and MVVM?

 

MVC (Model-View-Controller) and MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) are both architectural patterns used in software development to structure the design of user interfaces and applications. While they share similarities, they have distinct differences in terms of how they organize and separate the components of an application.

MVC (Model-View-Controller):

  1. Model (M): The model represents the application's data and business logic. It is responsible for managing the data and the rules for updating and processing it.

  2. View (V): The view is responsible for presenting the data to the user and handling user interface (UI) interactions. It is typically the user interface layer that displays information to the user.

  3. Controller (C): The controller acts as an intermediary between the model and the view. It handles user input, processes it, and updates the model and view accordingly. The controller contains the application's control flow logic.

MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel):

MVVM is a design pattern that was introduced to address some of the shortcomings of MVC, particularly in modern UI frameworks like WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) and Angular. MVVM introduces a new component called the ViewModel:

  1. Model (M): Similar to MVC, the model represents the application's data and business logic.

  2. View (V): The view is responsible for presenting the data to the user and handling user interface interactions, just like in MVC.

  3. ViewModel (VM): The ViewModel is a new component introduced in MVVM. It acts as an intermediary between the model and the view. It contains the presentation logic and often exposes properties and commands that the view can bind to. The ViewModel is designed to be UI-agnostic, making it easier to unit test and reuse.

Key Differences:

  1. View Independence:

    • In MVC, the view often has more responsibility, including user input handling and some presentation logic.
    • In MVVM, the ViewModel takes on more responsibilities, including presentation logic, and the view becomes more passive, focusing primarily on displaying data and handling user input.
  2. Data Binding:

    • MVVM relies heavily on data binding to connect the ViewModel and the view. Changes in the ViewModel automatically update the view, and vice versa, without the need for explicit updates.
    • In MVC, data binding is typically less integral, and updates to the view often require more manual intervention in response to controller actions.

Example:

Consider a simple example of displaying a user's profile in a mobile app:

MVC:

  • Model: Contains user data and methods for fetching and updating user information.
  • View: Displays the user's profile information and handles button clicks.
  • Controller: Listens for button clicks, retrieves user data from the model, and updates the view with the user's profile.

MVVM:

  • Model: Contains user data and methods for fetching and updating user information, similar to MVC.
  • View: Displays the user's profile information but relies on data binding to automatically update when the ViewModel changes.
  • ViewModel: Contains properties that expose the user's data, handles data formatting, and exposes commands for actions like updating the user's information. The ViewModel is responsible for interacting with the Model to fetch or update data.

In MVVM, the ViewModel plays a central role in managing the interaction between the Model and the View, allowing for better separation of concerns and often resulting in more testable and maintainable code.

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