MVC Vs Web API differences

See, 

MVC is an architectural pattern , that helps us to organize the project. Means, classes/business logic can go to model folder, html can go to view folder and data-binding logic can go to controller.

 for example spring MVC is used by java guys to develop web apps, which is based on MVC pattern.

similarly, Microsoft has provided us ASP.NET MVC/ ASP.NET Core MVC to develop web apps using MVC pattern.

Now, come to web API

First, tell me what do you mean by the interface in general? Ok, I give you examples of the interface, GUI is a graphical user interface. Why it came into the picture? because normal users are very different from technical developers of any application. Why windows operating system is famous? Cause anybody can use it easily, it has a start button, and everything is visible, the best part is the user does not need to know the internal mechanism, they just click and boom gets the result. This is the purpose of any interface in the world. An interface hides the complexity from a normal user.

Now come to the developer's world,suppose you are a java developer and I am a dot net developer, I have developed a wonderful application where a user logs in and by his location the app gives him the nearest bars location and related details. You liked this app and you want to use such a service in your java application, what will you do? You ask a favor to me to give my code. But you can't integrate it in your application cause it's written in .Net, and this is the first problem, the second problem is, why should I give you my code, I will simply give you an interface but I know you are a programmer, not a nontechnical person, so I will give you an interface which at least you as a programmer could understand and my code will still be hidden from you, you can only use the methods that I had created but can not see how actually it is working, and you really don't need it as well, you just need an interface though not graphical , a simple interface that you understand, such interfaces for programmers by programmers are called Application programming interface. No matter which device, no matter which programming language. An interface for all. For example, google map service is an API, If you want to integrate it into your application, then you do not need to know how is it working, you just need to call the methods by simple URLs like http://googlemap/nearestbars. Here nearest bars is actually a method which is representing some resources but for you googlemap is an interface and every method is like buttons on windows.

To create web APIs easily, Microsoft provided us the Web API framework, which is again based on MVC pattern, as an API can't have view, so the view folder is not used. you will only find the model and controller here. 

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