Kentico and MVC: Everything You Need to Know

Updated 19 Feb 2024
Published 28 Sep 2023
Satyam Chaturvedi 1875 Views
Kentico and MVC Everything You Need to Know

MVC and Kentico are the most powerful tools for developing professional-grade websites and share a strong relationship. The interesting thing is that Kentico offers two development models – Kentico Portal Engine and Kentico MVC.

In this article, we will peek into what Kentico MVC and Kentico Portal Engine are, how they are related, and other information that is all you need to know.   

So, let’s start with Kentico first.

What is Kentico? 

Have you ever read the tagline- “Create an Impactful Digital Experience”? If you know about it, then you have an idea. But if not, this line belongs to one of the most amazing digital experience platforms- Kentico.

It is a CMS (content management system) that includes content marketing and eCommerce tools to develop feature-rich business websites and e-commerce stores.    

It is a hybrid headless digital experience platform that is cost-effective and ensures high ROI.

Multiple reasons make it the best among its competitors, such as Contentful, Adobe Experience Manager, WP Engine WordPress, and more. These are:   

  • Fast to the market  

Kentico’s hybrid headless architecture makes it possible to flexibly implement and launch the solution in less time to the market. It offers a rich set of ready-to-go capabilities and APIs.   

  • Boost Marketing Efforts  

It is an easy-to-use platform that offers low-code and no-code tools that suit all needs. The platform helps in crafting an ultimate customer journey and boosting engagement.   

  • Design to Scale  

The Kentico platform’s built-in flexibility allows you to grow at any time. It is a cloud-native platform that ensures security, scalability, extensibility, and affordability.    

  • Competitive Advantages  

With Kentico, third-party integration is easy, offering a 360–degree view of customers. Its multichannel marketing tools support it to compete among strong competitors.   

Additionally, the Kentico is powered by .NET 6 technology, making it a robust and ready-to-go digital experience platform for professional web development. Overall, there are multiple reasons to choose Kentico for your next project as the best technology.

Kentico Development Models and Version History 

Kentico has had its presence for over 15 years in the market and progressed a lot. It has a good history of its development models and versions. Here we will have a sneak peek at it.   

Kentico Development Models and Version History

#1. History of Kentico’s Development Models 

  • ASPX  

It was as old as Kentico. At a young age, Kentico CMS was introduced to the word ASP.NET Framework. It introduced Web Forms technology that enabled the development of powerful web applications offering features similar to desktop applications.

  • Portal  

The year was 2006 when Portal Engine launched with Kentico CMS Version 2. It is also based on Web Forms technology. The Portal Engine allowed developers to create & define the layouts and components of web pages in the form of Web Parts. 

  • MVC  

In 2010, the Kentico MVC technology by Microsoft gained popularity. It changed the way that developers used to write the code. It introduced a way to write lightweight code and precisely control code production. Kentico adopted it as one of the key vendors of .NET CMS.

#2. History of Kentico’s Versions   

Along with the development models, Kentico has also transformed itself multiple times, so the following represents its version history.   

Kentico’s Version   Release date  
Kentico 1  August 1, 2006 
Kentico 2  November 21, 2006 
Kentico 3  January 29, 2008 
Kentico 4  February 6, 2009 
Kentico 5  December 23, 2009 
Kentico 6  October 10, 2011 
Kentico 7  September 17, 2012 
Kentico 8, 8.1, 8.2  March 31, 2014
Kentico 8, 8.1, 8.2  August 22, 2014
Kentico 8, 8.1, 8.2  January 6, 2015
Kentico 9  November 24, 2015 
Kentico 10  November 30, 2016 
Kentico 11  December 11, 2017 
Kentico 12  November 27, 2018 
Kentico 12 Service Pack   June 26, 2019 
Kentico 13  October 27, 2020 

There is a very interesting thing about Kentico 13. After its launch, there is no new number in the version series of Kentico. From 2021, it has a sequence of refreshed versions. Such as, in 2021, Kentico 13 Refresh 1 to 4 launched.

Sequentially in 2022, it got another four refreshes from 5 to 8. Its latest refresh versions launched in 2023 are Kentico 13 Refresh 9 (March 24, 2023) and Kentico 13 Refresh 10 (June 22, 2023).      

It is all about Kentico Models and their version history. Now it’s time to learn about the MVC. So, continue with this blog.   

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What is MVC? 

The MVC stands for Model View Controller, based on Microsoft’s ASP.NET framework. While developing the website using MVC Model, a separate MVC application showcases live sites; on the other hand, the Kentico application works as a content platform.

Although both applications fetch and store data using a common database. To develop the website using the MVC model, you must know about MVC Architecture, ASP.NET, C#, and VB.NET.   

When discussing or reading about Kentico and MVC, a common question always arises –what is the difference between MVC and Portal Engine?  

So, let’s move to the upcoming section that will give you a peek into Kentico Portal Engine vs. Kentico MVC.

Read Also: WordPress vs. Drupal vs. Magento vs. Kentico- Which is the Best CMS?

Kentico Portal Engine vs. Kentico MVC    

At the start of the article, it is already mentioned that Kentico offers two development models. i.e., Portal Engine and MVC. In this blog section, we will have a closer look at Portal Engine vs. MVC.

Let’s head towards it. 

Difference   MVC   Portal Engine 
Web Development   Based on the MVC architectural pattern Browser based interface
Working   Kentico administration remains separate from the MVC application serving content The Kentico admin and live site run within a single web app.
Design Inheritance and Composition  MVC gives you complete control over the layout and overall design Page layout inheritance is from ancestors and nesting can be broken whenever needed.
Supports Customization   Yes   Yes  
Page Assembling  
  • Page layout depends on view templates and view engine 
  • Content-only pages serve as content repository  
  • Custom or built-in web parts can be placed in custom page layouts.  
  • Page content is separated from the design.   
Key Advantages  
  • Complete control over implementation 
  • Greater flexibility
  • Faster web development  
  • Website creation via web browser
Disadvantages  
  • Some Kentico features are not supported  
  • ASP.NET MVC and Programming Knowledge Required
  • Limited by proprietary architecture and development processes.

Why Prefer MVC?   

From the developer’s point of view, Kentico MVC is the best over Portal Engine. Here some readers may also ask-   

Why do developers prefer MVC for Kentico CMS development over Portal Engine?    

 The ASP.NET technology evolved during the past years, and the latest ones have replaced many things. The best example is the MVC framework, now an industry-wide preferred framework.   

Including Kentico, other ASP.NET platforms also have faced the transition. The MVC is the new standard for .NET development due to its scalable and futuristic nature.

It is introduced to develop interfaces most easily as it separates the application into three parts,i.e., model, view, and controller, that break complex code into simpler ones.     

Even Kentico also recommends upgrading from the Kentico Portal Engine Project to the Kentico Xperience MVC project. Suppose you want to upgrade, then here are the following conditions:   

  • If the site’s lifecycle is at its end and redesigning is needed.   
  • The site’s lifecycle is unlikely to end soon, but support is still required.

In the above conditions, the transition is recommended from Portal Engine to MVC. Remember that transition is not automatically possible because both are different in their level, so here you can get the help of an experienced Kentico Development Company.     

Know More: Check some important Kentico Xperience MVC Faqs 

What are the Advantages of Using MVC for Professional Website Development?

Here are some benefits you can experience using MVC for professional web development.   

  • It helps in professional website performance optimization as it allows for control over HTML, which offers SEO benefits, faster page load, smoothened overall interaction with the site, and more.   
  • It allows better control over semantics.   
  • Using MVC, it is quite smooth to adhere to requirements and accessibility standards.  
  • MVC ensures a future-ready website for businesses.   
  • It offers streamlined development operations.   
  • Upgradation cost is less.   
  • Delivers multichannel experience and more.    

The point is still that Portal Engine is in use, but if you want to redefine the experience, then none other than MVC is the best. It is beneficial to build websites using the ASP.NET MVC framework.

Final Thoughts 

Kentico is such a fantastic platform for CMS development or developing a professional-grade platform powered by ASP.NET Framework. Although for CMS development, Portal Engine is still in use and multiple websites rely on it, MVC is the future.

MVC is the solution you could leverage in real-time when you need CMS solutions for growth via sales and marketing, scalability, revenue generation, and ROI. It would be best to consult with Kentico consulting services provider for a clearer view and details.

Satyam Chaturvedi

Satyam Chaturvedi is a Digital Marketing Manager at Arka Softwares, a leading app development company dealing in modern and futuristic solutions. He loves to spend his time studying the latest market insights.

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