Difference between ViewBag, ViewData and TempData in mvc

Introduction: In this article today I am going to explain what is the difference between ViewBag, ViewData and TempData in mvc

We use the ViewData, ViewBag and TempData to pass data from controller to view. ViewBag and ViewData are almost similar.

ViewData:

ViewData is a dictionary object that is derived from ViewDataDictionary class and accessible using strings as key values. It is used to pass data from controller to view. It requires typecasting for a complex data type and check for null values to avoid error. ViewData has short life because its life lies during current request only. If redirection occurs its value become null. ViewData is faster than ViewBag.

Example:

Controller:

public ActionResult Index()

        {

            ViewData["Username"] = "Vijay Saklani";

            ViewData["PhoneNo"] = "1233456654";

            return View();

        }

View:

@{

    ViewBag.Title = "Index";

}

<h2>View data Example</h2> 

<p>User Name : @ViewData["Username"]</p>

<p>Phone Number : @ViewData["PhoneNo"]</p>

Output:

ViewBag:

ViewBag is a dynamic property that takes advantage of the new dynamic features in C# 4.0. ViewBag is also used to pass data from the controller to view. It does not required typecasting to get complex data. ViewBag also has short life means its life lies only during current request only.If redirection occurs its value become null. ViewBag is slower than ViewData.

Example:

Controller:

public ActionResult Index()

        {

            ViewBag.Username = "Vijay";

          ViewBag.Phoneno = "123456789";

          return View();

        }

View:

@{

    ViewBag.Title = "Index";

} 

<h2>Viewbag Example</h2>

<p>User Name: @ViewBag.username</p>

<p>Password: @ViewBag.phoneno</p>

Output:

TempData:

TempData is also a dictionary object derived from TempDataDictionary class and stored in short lives session. It is a string key and object value. TempData is used to pass data between current and next subsequent request only. Means it helps to maintain the data when you move from one controller to other controller or from one action to other action. It requires typecasting for complex data type and check for null values to avoid error. It is mostly used to store one time messages like Validation, Error Messages etc.

Example:

Controller:

public ActionResult Userdetail()

        {

            TempData["Message"] = "TemData Example";

            return RedirectToAction("Index");

        }

View:

@TempData["Message"]

Output:

When we go to view Userdetail it redirect us to the Index show the message.