asp.net mvc - Is there a reason I would use Knockout MVC instead of Knockout JS?

Question

Another user suggested Knockout MVC to handle some AJAX posting issues. I read a little on it and I see it is a wrapper around Knockout JS. So I wonder what are the real differences between the two? Should I bother with Knockout JS since Knockout MVC exists? When would I use one over the other?

Answer 1

Knockout MVC is the bastard child of WebForms. It routes all viewmodel methods through controller actions, meaning everything that happens has to bounce to the server and back. I cannot understand why anyone would take a framework like knockout, which is intended to be CLIENT SIDE MVVM, and force it to call the server for every function.

In addition, performing those methods on the server means the entire viewmodel needs to be passed to the server, and back to the client, for every function call. This is incredibly wasteful.

Using Knockout MVC means sacrificing all the performance benefits of client-side code for the benefit of not having to write javascript. The same trade-off WebForms made. It is not a good one. It is an antipattern.

If Knockout MVC dies tomorrow, the web will be a better place.