What is MVC Architecture?

MVC (Model–View–Controller) is a software design pattern used to separate application logic into three interconnected components. MVC makes applications organized, scalable, and easy to maintain.

Components of MVC

1. Model

The Model handles:

• Business logic

• Database operations

• Data validation

Example:

class UserModel {
    public function getUsers() {
        // database logic
    }
}

2. View

The View is responsible for:

• User interface (UI)

• Displaying data

• HTML, CSS, minimal PHP

Example:

User List
<?php foreach ($users as $user): ?>
    
<?= $user['name']; ?>
<?php endforeach; ?>

3. Controller

The Controller:

• Receives user input

• Interacts with Model

• Sends data to View

Example:

class UserController {
    public function index() {
        $model = new UserModel();
        $users = $model->getUsers();
        include 'views/users.php';
    }
}

How MVC Works (Flow)

1. User sends request (URL)

2. Controller receives request

3. Controller asks Model for data

4. Model returns data

5. Controller passes data to View

6. View displays data to user

Advantages of MVC

• Clean separation of concerns

• Easier maintenance

• Code reusability

• Better teamwork

• Scalable applications

Simple MVC Folder Structure

/app
  /controllers
  /models
  /views
/public
  index.php

Front Controller (index.php)

require '../app/controllers/UserController.php';

$controller = new UserController();
$controller->index();

Routing in MVC (Basic)

$url = $_GET['url'] ?? 'home';

switch ($url) {
    case 'users':
        (new UserController())->index();
        break;
}

MVC in Popular PHP Frameworks

• Laravel

• CodeIgniter

• Symfony

• Yii

MVC vs Traditional PHP

Best Practices

• Keep controllers thin

• Move business logic to models

• Avoid database logic in views

• Use proper naming conventions

• Follow single responsibility principle

Common Use Cases

• Large web applications

• CMS platforms

• E-commerce websites

• REST APIs

Conclusion

PHP MVC architecture helps developers build clean, scalable, and maintainable applications. Understanding MVC is essential for working with modern PHP frameworks.