Angular has been designed to build single page applications by allowing developers to employ a range of custom components to develop their applications rapidly. These components, along with the available built in developer tools, have made Angular one of the most popular front-end frameworks currently available.
What is Angular?
Angular is a front-end, scalable, component based framework made up of a collection of well-integrated libraries. It was designed to be used for single page applications (SPAs), and created with an array of developer tools designed to help build, develop, test and continually update application code.
Angular is designed to make the interactivity and handling of web pages more intuitive. This is achieved through the use of two-way data binding, a feature built into Angular. Two-way data binding ensures changes made to the underlying data, or states, are automatically updated on the user interface, providing a seamless user experience.
Developed and supported by Google, Angular is now used by over 1.5 million developers, authors, and content creators worldwide. The amount of Angular developers has brought about a significant user base of organizations and businesses who employ Angular for their own applications or web pages. While primarily focussed on SPAs, Angular can be used to develop various types of applications due to its scalability.
How Does Angular Work?
The main building blocks for Angular are components. Each component consists of; an HTML template, TypeScript, a CSS selector and optional CSS styles. The component controls a patch of screen called a view.
Angular allows the use of templates throughout development. This is a blueprint for an aspect of the User Interface. The templates are a chunk of HTML which displays a view or user interface, but with a lot more functionality than a standard block of HTML.
Directives are classes that add additional behavior to elements of your application. Angular uses three main types of directives:
Angular uses dependency injection to increase the speed of the overall application and its development by reducing the total code needed. Dependency injection takes aspects or features from other parts of the code and applies them anywhere else they are needed.
What Angular offers organizations
Angular was designed to increase the productivity of developers through the use of the simple templates. These templates help to develop a user interface while limiting unnecessary, time consuming work. With testing built-in, developers can be confident that their Angular application will be completed efficiently and effectively.
Angular is a powerful front-end development framework that offers several unique features that make it a popular choice for building complex web applications. Some of the most notable features of Angular include:
Two-way data binding | Angular’s two-way data binding feature allows synchronization of data between the model and the view. When the data in the model changes, the view is automatically updated, and when the data in the view changes, the model is updated as well. Data binding simplifies the development process by eliminating the need to write complex code to manage the synchronization of data between the model and the view. |
Dependency injection | The dependency injection feature makes it easy to manage dependencies between different components of an application. With this feature, developers can define the dependencies of a component in a single place, and the framework takes care of instantiating and providing those dependencies when the component is created. |
Reactive programming | Reactive programming feature means developers can build applications that respond to events and data changes in real-time. Reactive programming is based on the concept of observables, which are streams of data that can be manipulated and transformed using a variety of operators. This feature is particularly useful for building applications that involve real-time data updates, such as chat applications, real-time dashboards, and data visualization tools. |
Component-based architecture | Component-based architectures allow developers to build applications using reusable, modular components. Each component is a self-contained unit that encapsulates the logic and data of a specific feature or functionality of the application. |
Template syntax | Angular’s template syntax is designed to make it easy for developers to build dynamic and interactive user interfaces. The template syntax supports a wide range of features, including data binding, conditional rendering, looping, event handling, and more, making it easy to build complex user interfaces without having to write a lot of code. |
TypeScript support | The framework is built on top of TypeScript, a typed superset of JavaScript that adds static typing, classes, interfaces, and other features to the language. TypeScript helps developers write cleaner, more maintainable code by catching errors at compile-time and providing better tooling support. This feature is particularly useful for building large-scale applications that require a high level of code organization and maintainability. |
Angular CLI | A command-line interface (CLI) simplifies the development process by automating common tasks such as creating new projects, generating components, services, and modules, running tests, and more. The CLI provides a consistent and standardized way of building Angular applications, which helps to improve productivity and maintainability. |
Cross-platform development | Inclusive support for cross-platform development means that developers can build applications that run on a wide range of platforms and devices, including desktops, mobile devices, and even smartwatches. Angular provides several tools and techniques for building responsive and adaptive user interfaces that work well on different screen sizes and resolutions. |
Progressive Web Applications (PWA) support | Angular supports building Progressive Web Applications (PWA), which are web applications that provide a native app-like experience to users, even when offline or on low-quality networks. PWAs can be installed on users’ devices and accessed through the home screen, without the need for an app store. Angular provides several features, such as service workers, push notifications, and offline support, that make it easy to build PWAs. |
Angular Universal | Angular Universal is a server-side rendering (SSR) solution that allows developers to render Angular applications on the server, instead of relying on the client-side rendering. SSR provides several benefits, such as faster initial loading times, improved SEO, and better accessibility. Angular Universal makes it easy to build fast, scalable, and SEO-friendly web applications. |
RxJS | RxJS is a reactive programming library that is built on top of Angular. RxJS provides several operators and functions that make it easy to work with observables, manipulate data streams, and handle asynchronous events. RxJS is an integral part of Angular’s reactive programming feature, and it helps developers build robust and scalable applications. |
Which organizations use Angular?
Angular is widely used by developers and companies around the world. It is particularly popular among large organizations that need to build complex and scalable web applications. Some of the household names that use Angular include Google, Microsoft, IBM, Forbes, and Cisco.
Google, one of the creators of Angular, uses the framework extensively across its suite of products, including Google Analytics, Google Cloud Platform, and Google Ads. Angular was chosen for its ability to create large-scale, enterprise-level applications that can be easily maintained and updated.
Microsoft also uses Angular in many of its products, including Office 365, Skype, and Xbox. Angular allows Microsoft to build fast, responsive, and scalable applications that work well across different platforms and devices.
Forbes, the popular media company, uses Angular to power its web application, which delivers news, articles, and data to millions of users around the world. Forbes chose Angular for its ability to handle large amounts of data and create rich, interactive user interfaces.
Cisco, the multinational technology company, uses Angular to build its web applications, which include collaboration tools, security products, and cloud services. Angular allows Cisco to build robust and scalable applications that meet the needs of its customers.
Understanding the challenges of Angular in web development
Complexity for small-scale projects
Angular’s extensive capabilities make it an excellent choice for large-scale applications. However, for smaller projects with simpler requirements, the additional complexity and overhead introduced by Angular may feel unnecessary and could potentially slow down development.
Bundle size
Angular applications tend to have larger bundle sizes compared to other JavaScript frameworks. The framework itself contributes to a larger overall payload. This can impact application loading times, especially for users with slower internet connections or limited bandwidth.
Lack of flexibility
While Angular provides a structured and opinionated approach to development, this can sometimes limit the flexibility and customization options for certain use cases. Developers may face constraints when trying to deviate from the established Angular patterns and conventions.
Migration challenges
For projects that have a legacy AngularJS codebase and are looking to migrate to Angular, the process can be complex and time-consuming. The differences in architecture and syntax between AngularJS and Angular may require substantial refactoring efforts and careful planning to ensure a smooth transition.
Community and third-party support
Although Angular has a significant user base, it might have relatively fewer resources and community-driven solutions compared to some other frameworks like React. This can result in a narrower range of available libraries, tools, and tutorials, making it slightly more challenging to find specific solutions or expertise.
