On which pattern are ASP.NET webforms and MVC based? PageController, FrontController?

Question

I am trying to understand the ASP.NET WebForms and MVC from the point of view of understanding the design patterns used. While MVC clearly looks like an implementation of FrontController, I am not very sure about WebForms pages. So, I would appreciate if anyone can help with the following questions around this.

1. Is WebForms based on a PageController pattern?

2. Are Front Controller and Page Controller both modified versions of MVC?

3. Can WebForms also be called a special case of MVC where distinction between controller and view is blurred?

Finally, are there any good resources on the web that can provide a detailed reference on this topic?

Answer 1

ASP.NET MVC is based on the Front Controller design pattern. Classic ASP.NET WebForms are based on an effort from Microsoft to bring Windows Forms event model to the web by hiding and abstracting many parts and you could apply the page controller pattern but out-of-the box it is not.