Angular was initially released by Google in 2010 as AngularJS. It was a groundbreaking framework at the time, offering a powerful toolset for building dynamic single-page applications (SPAs). AngularJS introduced concepts like two-way data binding, dependency injection, and modular development, which were new and innovative at the time. However, as web development evolved, AngularJS started showing limitations, particularly in performance, scalability, and maintainability for larger applications.
To address these issues, Google decided to create a complete rewrite of the framework, leading to the release of Angular 2 in 2016. This marked the start of Angular as we know it today, often referred to simply as Angular (dropping the "JS"). Angular 2 and beyond (currently at Angular 15) adopted TypeScript as the primary language, improved performance, and introduced a more modular and component-based architecture.
- Modularity and Organization: Angular provides a well-structured framework for building large-scale applications. Its modular architecture allows developers to break down applications into smaller, reusable components.
- Two-Way Data Binding: Angular's two-way data binding automatically synchronizes data between the model and the view, reducing the amount of boilerplate code needed for keeping the UI updated.
- Dependency Injection: Angular's built-in dependency injection system helps manage the dependencies between various parts of an application, making it easier to develop, test, and maintain.
- Comprehensive Toolset: Angular offers a complete set of tools for building applications, including routing, forms, HTTP client, and more. This reduces the need to integrate third-party libraries.
- TypeScript Support: Angular’s use of TypeScript provides static typing, better tooling, and cleaner, more maintainable code.
- Language: Angular uses TypeScript, while React uses plain JavaScript (or TypeScript if opted). TypeScript needs to be compiled into JavaScript, which is what the browser understands. This compilation step can impact build times but not necessarily runtime performance.
- Architecture: Angular is a full-fledged framework, offering everything out of the box (routing, forms, HTTP client, etc.), whereas React is a library that primarily focuses on the view layer, leaving other concerns like routing and state management to additional libraries.
- Performance: React's virtual DOM and efficient diffing algorithm can make it faster in certain scenarios, especially for complex UIs with frequent updates. Angular also performs well but can be heavier due to its extensive feature set. The difference in performance isn't solely due to TypeScript compilation but rather how the frameworks handle updates and manage the DOM.
- SEO: React is often considered better for SEO because it supports server-side rendering (SSR) through frameworks like Next.js. SSR allows React applications to render content on the server before sending it to the browser, making it more SEO-friendly. Angular also supports SSR through Angular Universal before Angular v16 but from v16 it is inbuilt Angular introduced non-destructive hydration for server-side rendering (SSR).
Use Cases: When to Use React vs. Angular
- Suitable for projects where you need flexibility and a lightweight solution.
- Ideal for applications that require high interactivity and frequent UI updates, like social media platforms, dashboards, and single-page applications with complex UIs.
- Best suited for large-scale enterprise applications like ERPs, CRMs, and complex administrative dashboards.
- Ideal when a comprehensive framework is needed to manage the entire application architecture with built-in tools and conventions.
Angular in ERP or CRM Software
- Robust Framework: Angular’s comprehensive toolset makes it easier to build complex, data-driven applications typical of ERP or CRM systems.
- Modularity: Angular’s modular architecture allows developers to manage large codebases more effectively, which is crucial in enterprise environments.
- Maintainability: TypeScript's static typing and Angular’s structured approach help maintain large-scale applications, making it easier to scale and manage long-term.
How Angular Applications Work Inside a Browser
- Compilation: During build time, Angular's Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compiler converts TypeScript into JavaScript, optimizing the code and minimizing the size for faster load times. The AOT compilation happens before the application runs in the browser, so the browser only processes JavaScript.
- Bootstrapping: When an Angular application is launched in a browser, it loads the JavaScript bundles and bootstraps the root module, which initializes the application.
- Rendering: Angular uses its template syntax to render the views. The change detection mechanism ensures that the view is updated whenever the underlying model changes.
- Runtime Behavior: Angular applications follow a component-based architecture. Components are the building blocks of the UI, and they interact with services to manage data and logic. Angular’s change detection system monitors component states and updates the DOM accordingly.
Architecture of Angular Applications
- Modules: Angular applications are divided into modules, with each module encapsulating a specific part of the application. The root module (AppModule) is the entry point.
- Components: Components control views and are defined by a class, template, and styles.
- Templates: Templates define the HTML layout and structure of the view.
- Services: Services handle business logic and data management. They can be injected into components using Angular’s dependency injection system.
- Routing: Angular’s Router module manages navigation between different views.
- Data Binding: Angular supports one-way and two-way data binding between the model and view.
From Coding to Deployment
- Development: Developers write code using TypeScript, Angular templates, and CSS/SCSS for styling. Angular CLI (Command Line Interface) is often used to generate components, services, and other entities.
- Build Process: During the build process, the Angular CLI compiles the TypeScript code into JavaScript, minifies the code, and bundles it for deployment.
- Deployment: The compiled JavaScript, along with HTML and CSS, is deployed to a web server. Popular options include NGINX, Apache, or cloud services like AWS S3.
- Runtime: When a user accesses the Angular application via a browser, the browser downloads and executes the JavaScript code. Angular bootstraps the application, initializes components, and renders the UI.
Angular and React offer different strengths and are suited to different use cases. Angular's comprehensive framework is ideal for large, enterprise-level applications, while React's flexibility and performance make it a good choice for dynamic, interactive UIs. Angular's architecture and use of TypeScript provide advantages in maintainability and scalability, particularly for complex applications like ERPs and CRMs.