Here is a comprehensive essay that compares the features of ASP.NET WebForms with their equivalents in ASP.NET Core MVC, replete with definitions, goals, creation instructions, and examples. This can be used straight away as a blog post.


One of Microsoft's first frameworks for creating dynamic webpages was ASP.NET WebForms. Like Windows Forms, it offered drag-and-drop controls, code-behind, postback handling, and event-driven programming.

However, WebForms became obsolete as web development progressed because of:

  • 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 Pages Razor Views (.cshtml) Clean HTML + C# without ViewState; faster rendering
Code-behind (.aspx.cs) Controller Actions Controller handles requests instead of page lifecycle
Master Pages Razor Layout (_Layout.cshtml) Reusable template for common UI (header/footer)
User Controls (.ascx) Partial Views / View Components Reusable UI blocks
Server Controls (GridView, TextBox, etc.) HTML + Tag Helpers Lightweight, more control over HTML output
PostBack & ViewState Model Binding + HTTP verbs (GET/POST) Cleaner request handling without ViewState overhead
Page Life Cycle Middleware + MVC Request Pipeline Structured, testable request processing
Validation Controls Data Annotations + jQuery Validation Model-level validation
Data Binding (Eval, Bind) Strongly Typed Models Compile-time checking, safer and cleaner
Events (Button Click) Controller Actions (OnPost, OnGet) Clear routing-based action handling
Web.config settings appsettings.json, Program.cs Cleaner 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

  • No ViewState → Faster pages
  • Better control over HTML
  • Follows MVC pattern (clean architecture)
  • Works cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac)
  • Lightweight and high performance
  • Fully testable
  • 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.