Controller vs ControllerBase Explained with Examples

`Controller` vs `ControllerBase`

Both are base classes used to create controllers in ASP.NET Core.

Feature	`Controller`	`ControllerBase`
Primary use	MVC web applications	Web APIs
Razor View support	Yes	No
`View()` method	Available	Not available
`ViewBag`	Available	Not available
`ViewData`	Available	Not available
`TempData`	Available	Not available
JSON responses	Yes	Yes
HTTP results	Yes	Yes
Base class	Inherits from `ControllerBase`	Base API controller class
Common attribute	Usually no `[ApiController]`	Usually `[ApiController]`

`Controller` Example

Used when returning Razor Views:

public class ProductController : Controller
{
    public IActionResult Index()
    {
        return View();
    }
}

`ControllerBase` Example

Used when returning API data:

[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class ProductsController : ControllerBase
{
    [HttpGet]
    public IActionResult GetProducts()
    {
        return Ok(new[] { "Laptop", "Mobile" });
    }
}

Key Points

Use Controller for MVC applications that return HTML/Razor Views.
Use ControllerBase for Web APIs that return JSON or HTTP responses.
Controller inherits from ControllerBase and adds View-related features.
Both provide methods such as Ok(), NotFound(), BadRequest() and Redirect().
Avoid using Controller for APIs unless View functionality is genuinely required.

Controller vs ControllerBase

Controller vs ControllerBase

Controller Example

ControllerBase Example

Key Points

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`Controller` vs `ControllerBase`

`Controller` Example

`ControllerBase` Example