Different between MVVM and MVI in Android

Key Similarities between MVVM and MVI in Android

MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) and MVI (Model-View-Intent) are two architectural patterns used in Android app development to organize and structure the codebase for better separation of concerns and maintainability.

Here are some key differences between MVVM and MVI:

1. Data Flow: MVVM follows a two-way data binding approach, where the View and ViewModel are tightly coupled, and the ViewModel directly updates the View and vice versa. On the other hand, MVI follows a unidirectional data flow approach, where the View sends intents (user actions or events) to the ViewModel, and the ViewModel updates the View state accordingly.
2. State Management: In MVVM, the ViewModel is responsible for managing the state of the View, and the View observes the state changes from the ViewModel. In MVI, the state is represented as a unidirectional flow of states, and the View renders the UI based on the current state. The ViewModel in MVI is stateless and only responsible for processing intents and emitting new states.
3. Intent-Based Communication: MVI emphasizes on using intents to represent user actions or events that are dispatched from the View to the ViewModel. The ViewModel then processes these intents and updates the state accordingly. In MVVM, the View communicates directly with the ViewModel using two-way data binding or event listeners.
4. Testability: MVI promotes test ability by making the ViewModel stateless, with intents as the only input, and the state changes as the only output. This allows for easy unit testing of the ViewModel’s business logic. MVVM, on the other hand, may require additional setup for testing due to the tight coupling between View and ViewModel.
5. Flexibility: MVI provides a more structured and formalized approach to state management, making it well-suited for complex UIs with multiple states and interactions. MVVM, on the other hand, provides more flexibility in terms of how the View and ViewModel communicate and may be preferred for smaller projects or simpler UIs.

Overall, both MVVM and MVI are popular architectural patterns for Android app development, and the choice between them depends on the specific requirements of the project and the team’s preference. Both patterns aim to improve separation of concerns, maintainability, and testability, but they have different approaches to handling state and communication between View and ViewModel.