In ASP.NET MVC there are three ways – ViewData, ViewBag and TempData to pass data from controller to view and in next request. Like WebForm, you can also use Session to persist data during a user session.

ViewData

• ViewData is a dictionary object that is derived from ViewDataDictionary class.

  public ViewDataDictionary ViewData { get; set; }

• ViewData is used to pass data from controller to corresponding view.
• Its life lies only during the current request.
• If redirection occurs then its value becomes null.
• It’s required typecasting for getting data and check for null values to avoid error.

ViewBag

• ViewBag is a dynamic property that takes advantage of the new dynamic features in C# 4.0.

  public Object ViewBag { get;}

• Basically it is a wrapper around the ViewData and also used to pass data from controller to corresponding view.
• Its life also lies only during the current request.
• If redirection occurs then its value becomes null.
• It doesn’t required typecasting for getting data.

TempData

• TempData is a dictionary object that is derived from TempDataDictionary class and stored in short lives session.

  public TempDataDictionary TempData { get; set; }

• TempData is used to pass data from current request to subsequent request (means redirecting from one page to another).
• Its life is very short and lies only till the target view is fully loaded.
• It’s required typecasting for getting data and check for null values to avoid error.
• It’s used to store only one time messages like error messages, validation messages.

Session

• Session is an object that is derived from HttpSessionState class.

  public HttpSessionState Session { get; }

• Session is a property of HttpContext class.
• Session is also used to pass data within the ASP.NET MVC application and Unlike TempData, it never expires.
• Session is valid for all requests, not for a single redirect.
• It’s also required typecasting for getting data and check for null values to avoid error.