Repository Layer gives you additional level of abstraction over data access. Instead of writing
var context = new DatabaseContext();
return CreateObjectQuery<Type>().Where(t => t.ID == param).First();
to get a single item from database, you use repository interface
public interface IRepository<T>
{
IQueryable<T> List();
bool Create(T item);
bool Delete(int id);
T Get(int id);
bool SaveChanges();
}
and call Get(id). Repository layer exposes basic CRUD operations.
Service layer exposes business logic, which uses repository. Example service could look like:
public interface IUserService
{
User GetByUserName(string userName);
string GetUserNameByEmail(string email);
bool EditBasicUserData(User user);
User GetUserByID(int id);
bool DeleteUser(int id);
IQueryable<User> ListUsers();
bool ChangePassword(string userName, string newPassword);
bool SendPasswordReminder(string userName);
bool RegisterNewUser(RegisterNewUserModel model);
}
While List() method of repository returns all users, ListUsers() of IUserService could return only ones, user has access to.
In ASP.NET MVC + EF + SQL SERVER, I have this flow of communication:
Views <- Controllers -> Service layer -> Repository layer -> EF -> SQL Server
Service layer -> Repository layer -> EF This part operates on models.
Views <- Controllers -> Service layer This part operates on view models.
EDIT:
Example of flow for /Orders/ByClient/5 (we want to see order for specific client):
public class OrderController
{
private IOrderService _orderService;
public OrderController(IOrderService orderService)