Introduction

CRUD operation in MVC is the basic operations, where CRUD denotes create, read, update, and delete. But before understanding the basic operations of MVC, first, learn about MVC. MVC is the Model View Controller. MVC is a design pattern that is used to differentiate the data from business logic and presentation logic. It gives a pattern that helps in designing the web application.

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MVC divides the application into three layers, as described below:

1. Model Layer: MVC has a model component that deals with logic-related data. The model layer represents the information transferred between view and controller layers of data related to the business logic. For example, employee objects help fetch the employee information from the relevant table in the database, manipulate the data, and then update it back into the database.

2. View Layer: The view layer has the view components that deal with the User interface logic. As an illustration, an employee’s view components comprise the components, such as text boxes, radio buttons, drop-downs, check-boxes, etc. The view layer has the components that the end-user deals with.

3. Controller Layer: Controller is the interface between view layer components and model layer components. The controller controls the business logic. It receives the user input through the view layer and processes the information through the model layer. 

The processed information is then returned to the user by the controller through the view layer. 

To exemplify, an employee wants to see the salary-related information. The employee can enter the details through UI components in view; the controller then retrieves the relevant information from the model layer and displays the information to the employee’s view layer to see it.

The interaction between the MVC layers can be easily understood using the below diagram:

 These were the basics of MVC. Now, coming back to our original topic, the basic CRUD operation in MVC. Below are the CRUD operations:

• Create a record in the database
• Read a record in the database
• Update a record in the database
• Delete a record in the database

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Steps to Create an MVC Project

1. First, create an MVC application. Click on Start on your PC, and then click on All Programs.

2. Click on Microsoft Visual Studio 2015.

3. Click on File > New > Project and select ASP.NET Web Application Template.

4. Enter the project name and click Ok.

5. Click on Empty, check the check-box MVC, and click on Ok. An empty MVC web application will open.

6. Right-click on the Models folder, then add the option, and then the class option.

Below is the code snippet for the class called Employee1.cs:

public class Employee1 

  { 

   [Display(Name = “EmpId”)] 

   public int Empid { get; set; }  

   [Required(ErrorMessage = “First name is required.”)] 

   public string FName { get; set; } 

   [Required(ErrorMessage = “City is required.”)] 

   public string City { get; set; } 

   [Required(ErrorMessage = “Address is required.”)] 

   public string Address { get; set; } 

  }

7. The next step is adding a controller. Select MVC5 Controller with read/write a class and click on the Add button. Enter the controller name.

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CRUD Operation in MVC

1. Create a Record in the Database

Create a new record in the new controller using the below code snippet: 

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using System.Web;

using System.Web.Mvc;

namespace CRUDDemo.Controllers

{

    public class CRUDController : Controller

    {

        // To create View of this Action result

        public ActionResult create() 

        {

            return View();

        }

        // Specify the type of attribute i.e.

        // it will add the record to the database

        [HttpPost] 

        public ActionResult create(Employee1 emp)

        {

                     If (ModelState.IsValid)

                     {

                                 Db.Employee1.Add(emp);

                                 Db.SaveChanges();

                                 Return RedirectToAction(“Index”);

                     }

                     Return View(emp);

         }              

}

2. Read the Record From the Database

Below is the code to read the record from the database

public ActionResult Read()

{

using(var context = new demoCRUDEntities())

{

// Return the data from database

var data = context.Employee1.ToList(); 

return View(data);

}

}

Read: Exception Handling in MVC

3. Update a Record in the Database

Below is the code to edit or update the record in the database:

public ActionResult Edit(string id = null) 

{ 

Employee1 emp = db.Employee1.Find(id); 

if (emp == null) 

{ 

return HttpNotFound(); 

} 

return View(emp); 

}   

 [HttpPost] 

public ActionResult Edit(Employee1 emp) 

{ 

if (ModelState.IsValid) 

{ 

db.Entry(emp).State = EntityState.Modified; 

db.SaveChanges(); 

return RedirectToAction(“Index”); 

} 

return View(emp); 

}

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4. Delete the Record From the Database

Below is the code snippet to delete the record from the database:

public ActionResult Delete(string id = null) 

{

Employee1emp = db.Employee1.Find(id); 

if (emp == null) 

{ 

return HttpNotFound(); 

} 

return View(emp); 

}    

[HttpPost, ActionName(“Delete”)] 

[ValidateAntiForgeryToken] 

public ActionResult DeleteConfirmed(string id) 

{ 

Employee1 emp = db.Employee1.Find(id); 

db.Employee1.Remove(emp); 

db.SaveChanges(); 

return RedirectToAction(“Index”); 

}

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Security Considerations for CRUD Operations in MVC 

Security mindset is extremely important for MVC (Model-View-Controller) applications when implementing CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations to avoid different kinds of threats. Implement authorization mechanisms to make sure that only authorised users will be able to perform the persistence operations on the specified resources.   

Besides, use encryption methods to protect the confidential data in transfer and storage. Carry out updates and patching for the MVC CRUD operation with entity framework and dependencies to solve security vulnerabilities. Perform security audits and penetration testing to discover and prevent the vulnerabilities created by the application’s security stance. By putting security as the top priority, MVC applications ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data while offering an excellent CRUD functionality. 

Real-world Examples: Implementing CRUD Operations in a Practical MVC Application 

To create a Task Management System using MVC (Model-View-Controller) Architecture such that users can create, read, update, and delete tasks. Here’s how CRUD operations in MVC using database can be implemented securely in this project:  

Create Task (C):  

• Users can add new tasks with details like title, description, due date and priority. 
• Input validation is set in place to avoid injection attacks thus only allowing valid data from the source. 
• Authentication would prevent the non authenticated users from creating tasks.

Read Task (R):  

• Users see an extensive list of tasks with more details. 
• Based on the role of users, they may have access to different task sets (for example, assigned tasks, completed tasks). 

• Authorization methods guarantee that users see tasks which they have the necessary authorization for.

Update Task (U):  

• Users can edit existing tasks in order to change details or mark them as done. 
• The authentication controls makes it possible for only the actual task owner and authorised users to be able to update tasks. 
• Data integrity check is applied in order to avoid data tamping and keep data consistency.

Delete Task (D):  

• Users can eliminate tasks that are no longer necessary. 
• Using soft deletion allows us to store deleted tasks for auditing purposes. 
• Authorization controls will only allow registered users to delete tasks. 

Conclusion

CRUD is the most basic operations of MVC used in ASP.net. I hope the CRUD operation in MVC is clear to you now, and you can try implementing this code to perform the CRUD operations.  

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