MVC development overview

Kentico supports website development using ASP.NET MVC 5. This development model is based on a separate MVC application that handles the presentation of the live site, while the Kentico application serves as a content platform.

Both Kentico and the MVC application access data from the same database and use the Kentico API. Synchronization of cached content and most files is handled by web farms. This approach allows you to separate the live site (MVC application) and the administration (Kentico).

This means that you use Kentico to store data and manage content (mostly via pages), and generate the entire design of the site using your own MVC controllers and views.

Kentico's Pages application is a repository for content consisting of content-only pages. The content itself is created and modeled by content editors based on a content structure defined by developers, who then manage its presentation on the live site via the MVC application.

Requirements and limitations

You need the following environment for developing MVC projects:

• .NET Framework: .NET Framework 4.6.1 or newer
• Visual Studio: Visual Studio 2017

License requirements

You only need to purchase a license for the domain of the live site running on the MVC application. If you wish to run the Kentico administration interface on a different domain, an extra license is provided for free. See Kentico licensing for MVC applications for further details.

MVC development process

The following section contains a brief overview to get you started with site development using ASP.NET MVC. You can find a more detailed explanation of the covered areas in the linked pages.

1. Create and set up an MVC application
   • Start with MVC development by setting up your Kentico instance and the MVC application.
2. Define site content structure
   • In Kentico's administration interface, create a content structure based on content-only pages.
3. Develop the MVC application

   • Use generated code to work with page content and other data in the MVC application.

   • Load page content using the Kentico API. See Retrieving content in MVC applications for more information.

   • Provide additional functionality on your MVC site using the Kentico API. 
4. Deploy your MVC application
   • Learn how to deploy your MVC website to a hosting server (production environment).