ASP.NET framework - pipeline object model

I've been programming for 6 years in PHP, now transfering to ASP.NET due to the jobs and salaries availible. I've been toying with the ASP.NET WebForms/MVC 3 for a while and now I want to understand the complicated stuff under the bonnet. The low level architecture stuff. (I'm also often overconfident)

I found out that in ASP.NET, there is something called "The Pipeline Object Model", which works with several key classes and interfaces...like HttpRuntime, HttpApplicationFactory, etc., 开发者_开发技巧working together in certain pattern doing certaing things...

This might be obvious (or the question might be just stupid...please notice me if that is the case) for someone fluent and profoundly experienced in ASP.NET but ...

...is it possible to look into these classes? To see their source code, to see how do they really work or step into them (somehow) in debugging mode to see the process? Or is it just a matter of reading and understanding the MSDN or other various internet tutorials?

You aren't able to step into the the execution of those classes for WebForms (that I am aware of). However, these articles would be good to read to get an understanding of of the Page Life Cycle and Viewstate (two important WebForms concepts).

• ASP.NET Page Life Cycle Overview
• Understanding ASP.NET View State

MVC is another story. The framework is open source, and can be downloaded / browsed from their codeplex site. There are plenty of good resources in this question here on stackoverflow that discuss the lifecycle of a request in MVC.