Understanding MVC Architecture in Django and Flask

July 07, 2025

MVC (Model-View-Controller) is a software design pattern used to organize code in web applications by separating concerns. It divides the application into three interconnected components:

Model: Handles data and business logic.

View: Manages the presentation and user interface.

Controller: Handles user input and updates the model/view accordingly.

While both Django and Flask follow the MVC pattern, they implement and name the components a bit differently.

Django: A Full-Stack MVC Framework

Django follows the MTV pattern, which is Django’s version of MVC:

Django (MTV) Equivalent in MVC

Model Model

Template View

View Controller

🧩 Model

Defined in models.py

Represents tables in the database using Django ORM

from django.db import models

class Book(models.Model):

title = models.CharField(max_length=100)

author = models.CharField(max_length=50)

🧩 View (acts as Controller)

Defined in views.py

Handles business logic and returns responses

from django.shortcuts import render

from .models import Book

def book_list(request):

books = Book.objects.all()

return render(request, 'books.html', {'books': books})

🧩 Template (acts as View)

HTML files with Django template language

Renders data for the user

<ul>

{% for book in books %}

<li>{{ book.title }} by {{ book.author }}</li>

{% endfor %}

</ul>

Flask: A Lightweight, Flexible Framework

Flask doesn’t enforce strict architectural patterns, but you can still implement MVC manually.

Component Responsibility

Model Data layer (via SQLAlchemy)

View HTML templates (Jinja2)

Controller Route functions (in app.py)

🧩 Model

Using SQLAlchemy for ORM:

from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy

db = SQLAlchemy()

class Book(db.Model):

id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True)

title = db.Column(db.String(100))

author = db.Column(db.String(50))

🧩 Controller (Route Handler)

Defines logic for routes:

from flask import Flask, render_template

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route("/books")

def books():

all_books = Book.query.all()

return render_template("books.html", books=all_books)

🧩 View

HTML templates with Jinja2:

<ul>

{% for book in books %}

<li>{{ book.title }} - {{ book.author }}</li>

{% endfor %}

</ul>

Summary: Django vs Flask MVC

Feature Django Flask

Architecture MTV (similar to MVC) Flexible, DIY MVC

Opinionated Yes (structured project) No (you define structure)

ORM Built-in ORM External (e.g., SQLAlchemy)

Templates Django Templates Jinja2

Conclusion

Both Django and Flask support MVC architecture but with different levels of structure. Django provides a full-featured, batteries-included approach with a clear MTV pattern, ideal for larger apps. Flask offers more freedom and minimalism, making it great for small projects or custom implementations. Understanding MVC in both helps you write better-organized, maintainable code.

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