Routing Snapshot

Request Flow

Browser Request
      ↓
IIS / web.config
      ↓
Check: is it a real file or folder?
      ↓
Yes --------------------→ Serve directly with IIS
No
      ↓
Rewrite to public/index.php
      ↓
Read URL + HTTP method
      ↓
Search route table
      ↓
Match controller + action
      ↓
Extract route parameters
      ↓
Call controller method
      ↓
Return view / response

What the Router Does

The router acts as the traffic director for the application. Its job is to inspect the incoming request, compare it against the route definitions, and decide which controller and action method should handle the request.

• Receives the request path
• Checks the HTTP method such as GET or POST
• Compares the request against defined routes
• Finds the matching controller and action
• Extracts parameters from the URL
• Calls the correct controller method

Example Route

['GET', '#^/posts/(\\d+)$#', 'posts', 'show', [1]]

What this means

GET — This route responds only to GET requests.

#^/posts/(\\d+)$# — This pattern matches a URL such as /posts/5.

'posts' — This maps to the PostsController.

'show' — This maps to the show() action method.

[1] — This tells the router to capture the first matched value and pass it into the action.

Example Match

If the browser requests:

/posts/5

The router may resolve the request like this:

Controller: PostsController
Action: show
Parameter: 5

Which leads to something like:

$controller = new PostsController();
$controller->show(5);

Why the Rewrite Rule Matters

The IIS rewrite rule sends requests to index.php only when the request is not an existing file or directory.

• /docs/routing-snapshot.pdf loads directly in the browser
• /posts/5 is handled by the MVC framework

This creates a clean separation between static public files and dynamic application routes.

Step-by-Step Flow

1. The browser sends a request

A user visits a URL such as /posts/5. The browser sends that request to the server.

2. IIS receives the request

IIS checks whether the request points to a real file or folder. If it does, IIS serves it directly. If it does not, the request is rewritten to the front controller.

3. The front controller starts the application

The request enters public/index.php, which acts as the main entry point for the application.

4. The router checks the route table

The framework compares the request path and HTTP method against the routes defined in the application.

5. A route match is found

If the request matches a route pattern, the framework identifies the controller, action, and any parameters.

6. The controller method is called

The controller action handles the request and prepares the response, often by loading data and rendering a view.

Why This Is Useful

This routing approach gives the framework a clean and expandable structure.

• Clean URL design
• Centralized request handling
• Easy controller organization
• Support for route parameters
• Better separation of concerns

Snapshot Summary