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ASP.NET WebForms to ASP.NET Core MVC – Feature Comparison, Purpose & Examples

Below is a complete article comparing ASP.NET WebForms features with their ASP.NET Core MVC replacements, including definitions, purposes, step-by-step creation, and examples.

You can directly use this as a blog article.

ASP.NET WebForms was one of Microsoft’s earliest frameworks used to build dynamic websites. It provided drag-and-drop controls, code-behind, postback handling, and event-driven programming similar to Windows Forms.

However, as web development evolved, WebForms became outdated due to:

  • Heavy ViewState

  • Low performance

  • Tight coupling

  • Limited testability

  • Difficulty in maintaining clean separation of concerns

ASP.NET Core MVC was introduced to solve these challenges with a modern, lightweight, testable, and scalable architecture.

This article explains:

  • WebForms features

  • Their ASP.NET Core MVC replacements

  • Purpose of each

  • Examples showing how things are done in MVC

1. WebForms vs ASP.NET Core MVC – Feature Comparison Table

WebForms FeatureASP.NET Core MVC ReplacementPurpose / Explanation
ASPX PagesRazor Views (.cshtml)Clean HTML + C# without ViewState; faster rendering
Code-behind (.aspx.cs)Controller ActionsController handles requests instead of page lifecycle
Master PagesRazor Layout (_Layout.cshtml)Reusable template for common UI (header/footer)
User Controls (.ascx)Partial Views / View ComponentsReusable UI blocks
Server Controls (GridView, TextBox, etc.)HTML + Tag HelpersLightweight, more control over HTML output
PostBack & ViewStateModel Binding + HTTP verbs (GET/POST)Cleaner request handling without ViewState overhead
Page Life CycleMiddleware + MVC Request PipelineStructured, testable request processing
Validation ControlsData Annotations + jQuery ValidationModel-level validation
Data Binding (Eval, Bind)Strongly Typed ModelsCompile-time checking, safer and cleaner
Events (Button Click)Controller Actions (OnPost, OnGet)Clear routing-based action handling
Web.config settingsappsettings.json, Program.csCleaner configuration with dependency injection

2. How MVC Replaces WebForms – Explanation with Examples

2.1 ASPX Page → Razor View

WebForms

Default.aspx

<asp:Label ID="lblMessage" runat="server"></asp:Label>
<asp:Button ID="btnClick" Text="Click Me" runat="server" OnClick="btnClick_Click" />

Default.aspx.cs

protected void btnClick_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    lblMessage.Text = "Hello World!";
}

ASP.NET Core MVC Replacement: Razor View + Controller

Controller

public class HomeController : Controller
{
    public IActionResult Index()
    {
        return View();
    }

    [HttpPost]
    public IActionResult ShowMessage()
    {
        ViewBag.Message = "Hello World!";
        return View("Index");
    }
}

Razor View (Index.cshtml)

<form method="post" asp-action="ShowMessage">
    <button type="submit">Click Me</button>
</form>

<h3>@ViewBag.Message</h3>

2.2 Master Pages → Razor Layout

WebForms

Site.Master

<asp:ContentPlaceHolder ID="MainContent" runat="server"></asp:ContentPlaceHolder>

ASP.NET Core MVC Replacement

Views/Shared/_Layout.cshtml

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
    <header>
        <h1>My MVC App</h1>
    </header>

    <div class="content">
        @RenderBody()
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Use layout inside view

@{
    Layout = "_Layout";
}

2.3 User Controls (.ascx) → Partial Views

WebForms

Header.ascx

<h2>Welcome User</h2>

ASP.NET Core MVC Replacement

Views/Shared/_Header.cshtml

<h2>Welcome User</h2>

Use partial:

@await Html.PartialAsync("_Header")

2.4 Server Controls → Tag Helpers

WebForms

<asp:TextBox ID="txtName" runat="server" />
<asp:Button ID="btnSubmit" runat="server" Text="Submit" />

ASP.NET Core MVC Replacement

<input asp-for="Name" class="form-control" />
<button class="btn btn-primary">Submit</button>

2.5 ViewState → Model Binding

WebForms

Uses ViewState automatically – very heavy.

ASP.NET Core MVC Replacement

Controller

[HttpPost]
public IActionResult Save(UserModel model)
{
    return Content(model.Name);
}

View

<input asp-for="Name" />

No ViewState

Pure model binding

2.6 Validation Controls → Data Annotation Validation

WebForms

<asp:RequiredFieldValidator ControlToValidate="txtName" ErrorMessage="Name required" />

ASP.NET Core MVC Replacement

Model

public class UserModel
{
    [Required]
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

View

<input asp-for="Name" />
<span asp-validation-for="Name"></span>

3. Creating an ASP.NET Core MVC Project – Step-by-Step

Step 1: Create Project

Visual Studio →
Create New Project → ASP.NET Core Web App (Model-View-Controller)

Step 2: Project Structure

  • Controllers

  • Views

  • Models

  • wwwroot

  • appsettings.json

Step 3: Create Model

public class Employee
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

Step 4: Create Controller

public class EmployeeController : Controller
{
    public IActionResult Index()
    {
        return View();
    }
}

Step 5: Create View

Views/Employee/Index.cshtml

<h2>Employee List</h2>

4. Why ASP.NET Core MVC Is Better than WebForms

  1. No ViewState → Faster pages

  2. Better control over HTML

  3. Follows MVC pattern (clean architecture)

  4. Works cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac)

  5. Lightweight and high performance

  6. Fully testable

  7. Modern front-end integrations (Bootstrap, Angular, React)

5. Conclusion

ASP.NET Core MVC is a modern replacement for WebForms.
It removes the limitations of WebForms like ViewState, server controls, postback, and complex lifecycle.

Instead, it offers:

  • Razor Views

  • Controllers

  • Strongly typed models

  • Tag Helpers

  • Layout pages

  • Middleware pipeline

Understanding how WebForms features map to MVC features helps developers migrate old systems or learn ASP.NET Core efficiently.

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