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I'm deciding between using ASP.NET MVC, or standard ASP.NET Web Forms with URL routing for my application.

As far as I can tell, ASP.NET Web Forms with routing gives me clean URLs and I'll be able to use ASP.NET as I have been in the past. However, I've heard good things about ASP.NET MVC, which would gives native support for URL routing.

How does the workflow from ASP.NET Web Forms differ from ASP.NET MVC? Are there any major advantages to using MVC as opposed to web forms?

Jesse
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  • check out http://stackoverflow.com/questions/102558/biggest-advantage-to-using-asp-net-mvc-vs-web-forms and http://stackoverflow.com/questions/46031/why-does-the-asp-net-web-forms-model-suck for Web Forms vs MVC comparisons – kenwarner Aug 16 '11 at 19:37
  • MVC3 is just better than webforms. This is a fact. Razor, ActionFilters, GlobalActionFilters, model view binding, you just can't get these in webforms... Well I guess maybe Razor might be able to be used in webforms, I'm not 100% sure. – Chris Marisic Aug 16 '11 at 19:41
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    @Chris while I agree with you, this is still a personal opinion. – Pierre-Alain Vigeant Aug 16 '11 at 19:43
  • Man, I love MVC... It's just friggin amazing, but the fact of the matter is, it all depends on what you're building. A forms intensive site can really benefit from WebForms... The ViewState does still has a (albeit very little) place on the web. – Chase Florell Aug 16 '11 at 20:01

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A good place to start is here as it shows strengths and weaknesses. There was also an article real recent in Dr Dobbs, Information Week or one of the other free mags I get that talked about when not to move to MVC. MVC helps enforce good process with technology (at least better than webforms) and is very condusive to SEO friendly URIs.

If I were biting this off, it would be MVC all the way, but I do not know your project, your team's knowledge, etc.

Gregory A Beamer
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Whether you ultimately decide to go with WebForms or MVC, you should definitely learn MVC either way. Though Microsoft has made it pretty clear that development will continue on WebForms, many (including many here) already consider it outdated. True or not, MVC likely points the way to the future of .NET web development.

Also, having recently finished my first MVC project after spending some time in web and windows forms, I can attest to the learning curve - and parts of it are steep. But in the end the effort pays off. And then you'll have a personal perspective on the ups and downs and differences between the two.

ewomack
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I consider webforms a legacy product, mvc is a better fit for modern webdevelopment. But...there's a learningcurve, especially when you're coming from webforms. So, if time is limited, stick to what you know.

Robin van der Knaap
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  • WebForms is definitely NOT legacy. I personally use MVC (And love it more than anything I've worked with in the past), but it's all about "tools for the job". If your web page is essentially a web based "form" then use webforms. – Chase Florell Aug 16 '11 at 19:55
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    +1 webforms even .NET4 webforms is still legacy. I even consider MVC2 at this point legacy. This doesn't mean I don't have applications in production that still use those technologies, however those are our legacy products. All new development is poured into MVC3. – Chris Marisic Aug 16 '11 at 20:01