The Lightning Components framework follows the Model, View, Controller (MVC) paradigm. The component file provides the view layer, the JS controller and helper files provide the controller part, and the controller interacts with the Salesforce server via Apex. Apex connects to the Salesforce database, which acts as the Model.
The following diagram illustrates how the Lightning Component framework is based on the MVC paradigm:
Though the Lightning Component framework adopts the MVC paradigm, it is a true component-based framework first.
