Model View Controller (MVC) Architecture

Overview:

Model-View-Controller architecture is all about dividing application components into three different categories Model, View and the Controller. Components of the MVC architecture have unique responsibility and each component is independent of the other component. Changes in one component will have no or less impact on other component.

Model Components:
In the MVC architecture, model components provide an interface to the data and/or services used by an application. This way, controller components don't unnecessarily embed code for manipulating an application's data. Instead, they communicate with the model components that perform the data access and manipulation. Thus, the model component provides the business logic. Model components come in many different forms and can be as simple as a basic Java bean or as intricate as Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) or Web services.

View Components:
View components are used in the MVC architecture to generate the response to the browser. Thus, a view component provides what the user sees. Oftentimes the view components are simple JSPs or HTML pages. However, you can just as easily use WML, a templating engine such as Velocity or FreeMarker, XML with XSLT, or another view technology altogether for this part of the architecture. This is one of the main design advantages of MVC. You can use any view technology that you'd like without impacting the Model (or business) layer of your application.

Controller Components:
At the core of the MVC architecture are the controller components. The Controller is typically a servlet that receives requests for the application and manages the flow of data between the Model layer and the View layer. Thus, it controls the way that the Model and View layers interact. The Controller often uses helper classes for delegating control over specific requests or processes.