Why Choose Angular for Your Web Development Project?
The development world was taken by storm when AngularJS was first launched back in 2010. Now over a decade later, AngularJS has forgone its Javascript roots and metamorphosed into the ever-popular Angular, a framework powered by TypesScript.
319,163 websites currently use Angular. Due to its effectiveness, quick development time, and simplicity of platform integration, both developers and entrepreneurs have chosen to use Angular for developing robust, scalable web applications.
As a platform Angular is significantly rich in terms of features and functionalities and is fast becoming the gold-standard for enterprise-scale web development projects. But why is it so? What are the features that make Angular stand out from its competitors?
Read on as we discuss the features, functionalities, capabilities and top reasons to choose Angular as your web development framework in 2023.
What is Angular?
Angular is a TypeScript based framework, currently in its 15th stable iteration. In terms of syntax, it is component-based and is therefore perfect for building web applications that require scalability.
Angular sports a varied set of well-integrated libraries that contribute to its capabilities, including fluid client-server communication, routing and form management. Angular also sports diverse developer tools that prove invaluable when it comes to building, testing and updating your code.
Whether yours is a single developer setup or a multi-seat development team, Angular’s scalability allows it to function just as well for a bootstrapped startup as an enterprise- application development project.
One of the main value propositions of Angular is the fact that it sports a developer community of over 1.7 million experts, thus adding to the robustness and reliability of the framework.
But why should you choose Angular for your next web development initiative? Read on as we discuss this in the next section.
Top 5 Reasons to Use Angular
Now that we have introduced the start of the show (Angular) to you, let’s roll up our sleeves and delve into why the frameworks is the perfect choice for your web development needs:
Consistent and easy to test Code
Consistency in code is an essential in every development project. If developers are not able to work cohesively, or if the code written by a certain developer is unreadable or incomprehensible to another, issues (both in development and in testing) might arise. In consistent coding can result in inflated costs, longer development cycles and delayed launches.
Angular’s structure gives developers the capability of writing consistent code that not only makes the project comprehensible across the development floor but also results in faster development, thanks to effective usage of templates and pre-fabbed code blocks.
Given that Angular is component based, each component places code blocks into classes and defines metadata for them with a component decorator. This compartmentalised form of coding can offer benefits like:
Given that the entire structure of the code is in the form of components that act as independent building blocks, maintaining the codebase, adding or removing components and replacing them with updates becomes simple.
We have already spoken about Angular’s component based structure? that makes maintenance simple. But the value of component based coding doesn’t end here. The components built in Angular are highly reusable allowing developers to build intuitive UIs very akin to a drag and drop approach.
Testing also becomes a lot easier since Angular’s module separation allows testers to load only necessary services during automated testing. This reduces the time taken for testing, subsequently resulting in shortened launch times and lower expenses.
Declarative UI
Angular initially used JavaScript to define the UI of the application being built. This was back when the framework went by the name of AngularJS. Leaving JavaScript based code behind, Angular now leverages HTML to define the UI of the application being built. HTML is a lot simpler to read than javascript.
It is a declarative syntax system that eliminates the need for developers to pour in extended amounts of time into program flows and load hierarchies. Angular allows developers to state their requirements and get results in real-time.
Google Support
This is one of the biggest advantages of Angular. Google offers long-term support to Angular. In retrospect, this means that the tech giant has plans for the framework inclusive of scaling its ecosystem even further.
The team at Google holds Angular in high-stead as many Google apps use the framework thanks to its stability. This in turn means that Angular developers have the opportunity to build their skills with support from Google’s Angular team.
TypeScript Over JavaScript
Even though Angular started out as AngularJS, the framework soon shifted to TypeScript. TypeScript is a super script for JavaScript which unlike Coffee or Dart, isn’t a stand-alone language. It supports types like primitives and interfaces while helping catch and eliminate errors that may spring up during writing code or running maintenance sessions.
TypeScript sports added functionalities when it comes to compiling down ES5 or ES2015+ code. The language supports core features up to ES2017 inclusive of async/await and component decorators.
Debugging TypeScript code is also a simple process, given that the developer is offered map files compatible both with browsers and editors. TypeScript therefore improves navigational capabilities, refactoring? and auto-completion, making Angular a better option than many of its JS powered competitors.
MVC Architecture
Angular has a robust MVC (model view Controller) architectural setup. Despite how most other MVC architecture frameworks function, Angular does not require developers to break the application they are working on into separate blocks and then unite them to form the applications structure.
The MVC setup in Angular is a lot more of an MVVM (Model-View-View-Model) design structure.
Angular trashes unnecessary code and getters and setters are of virtually no utility during the coding process. Angular therefore ensures code-light, faster application development.
Pros of Angular
Angular is a highly effective and efficient framework. It has many advantages that have made it a favorite of both developers as well as businesses hoping to build a highly performant application well within budgets and timeframes. Read on as we delve into the pros of Angular:
Asynchronous Programming
RxJs is often used in tandem with Angular. This library finds utility in handling asynchronous data calls as it deals with each event independently in real time without waiting for an event to occur or leaving the page unresponsive.
In layman’s terms, the Asynchronous programming of RxJs can be compared to an assembly line of car manufacturing where each executable is broken down into interchangeable and reusable blocks spread across the development team. While RxJs did not ‘invent’ asynchronous programming, it is still considered a vanguard of the methodology.
While RxJs is not for everyone and has a ridiculously steep learning curve (this can be one of Angular’s cons) once developers master the library, development in Angular becomes a breeze. RxJs works on blueprints called Observables which state how data streams are combined and how the application reacts to variables in those streams.
领英推荐
With Observables, developers can reuse and combine them like building-blocks? allowing them to deal with big-data effectively broken into digestible bytes making the entire process a lot lighter on fiscal and temporal resources.
Platform Agnostic
The very essence of Angular is its cross platform compatibility. The “write once, deploy everywhere” philosophy of Angular allows developers unmatched flexibility, lower development timeframes as well as reduced costs incurred by the app’s owners. Angular for web supports both Android and ioS and has a single codebase that functions equally well on all leading Oss.
In business terms this means that the app owners need only one development team that can churn out apps compatible across multiple platforms and form factors.
Enhanced Performance
Angular is well known for the enhanced performance it bestows upon web development initiatives that leverage the framework. The features which enhance Angular’s performance are as a follows:
Angular sports differential loading, which means that within an application, content is fast loading while the bundle size of data is optimized, resulting in faster loading application runtimes.
In Angular developers can create separate bundles for legacy browsers and separate bundles for newer entrants. The framework then uses the latest polyfils and syntax for newer browsers and stable syntax for legacy browsers. This differential loading reduces bundle sizes and boosts overall app performance.
Angular uses a hierarchical dependency injection which segregates app components from their dependencies and allows them to run parallel with each other.
Angular facilitates the creation of a hierarchical dependency injection tree for each component tree that can be easily reworked and reconfigured without altering the underlying app components. This approach results in Angular being a lot faster than its predecessors and many of its competitors.
Ivy is an AOT (ahead-of-time) compiler which allows developers to compile the app they are working on in real-time (even during the build process). Ivy is the 3rd generation of Angular’s renderer. Ivy boosts performance of Angular apps through a process called ‘tree shaking’ where it deletes unused code making the app a lost lighter and faster to load. This feature also helps in size optimization for larger applications.
Angular Material
Every app development initiative needs a library of visually appealing elements. For Angular apps, this library is Angular Material Design. Angular material has prefab components inclusive of controls, navigational elements, layout buttons, and a lot more that can easily be integrated into the project to maintain a consistent visual language for the application.?
These components can further be customized and reused for later iterations of the app or other apps built by the same app owner, further enhancing consistency and design cohesion. (not to mention that it all speeds up the UI design process significantly)
Angular CLI
The Angular CLI ( common Line Interface) is easy to set up, has a shallow learning curve? and also sports extensive built in test tools. One of the most significant features of the Angular CLI is the NG update <package> command which checks the package and offers recommendations for updates across plugin, loaders and other dependencies.
Diverse Ecosystem
Angular is by no means a new-comer to the development arena and therefore its ecosystem is inundated with packages, tools, plugins and add-ons. Angular’s resources built by its community of developers include IDEs, UI environs, Server Side rendering systems as well as a multitude of testing and analytics tools.
This means that for a development team building an app on the Angular framework, there is no need for them to start from scratch, yet instead build upon the robust foundation created by Angular’s thriving community.
Angular Elements
Angular components can be wrapped as a DOM element and then used as a custom element for Apps built on other frameworks like Vue.js, react or JQuery.
For teams that wish to switch between technologies, Angular Elements offers the required cross-functional resource sharing thus ensuring a rapid TAT for app owners and a sigh of relief for developers wh no longer have to build the same thing more than once.
Cons of Angular
One of the most difficult hurdles that Angular had to face was the fact that it entered a market where React had been the dominant resident for years. Even if one spoke about Angular’s google ties, React had an equally influential backer, Facebook. Angular has generated its fair share of praise and an almost equal amount of criticism. Here are some of the cons of Angular:
Churn in Angular Supporters
It is the community around a? technology that adds to the tech’s influence in the market. The story of Angular has its ups and downs. According to a report back in 2018 Angular was the second most popular framework.
This position dropped to 9th just a year later in 2019. As of 2022, Angular ranks fifth in terms of popularity, and AngularJS ranks 13th. This massive churn is mostly because of the steep learning curve of Angular.
Migrating from AngularJS to Angular isn’t easy
Angular and Angular JS are poles apart and migrating from Angular JS to Angular is a monumental task. While Migration from Angular 13 to let’s say 15 is remarkably easy, migrating an Angular JS based legacy colossus to Angular can be a black hole f time and resources.
There is however a way to circumvent this issue. Developers can choose the hybrid approach where both Angular JS and Angular can function simultaneously while the product is incrementally updated. But this again requires a multitude of tools and a lot of time and results in an obese app.
Lazy Loading is another method that can be leveraged where only the parts of the app that are called by the user are loaded in that specific instance. This reduces load times and parts of the AngularJS app can be invoked and loaded in the Angular app.
Verbosity
The complexity and verbosity of Angular is one of the reasons why many developers dread working on the framework. We have earlier spoken about how Angular’s component based structure is a benefit, yet the process managing these components is very complicated.
A developer may need up to five separate files for a single component in each of which he will have to inject dependencies and declare the component lifecycle.
In Conclusion - Angular is Worth It
Even in the light of the cons mentioned above, Angular still has a strong value proposition. It is still the go-to choice for veteran Angular developers to build high-performing, intuitive, user-friendly web mobile and desktop applications.
Some of the best project types to deploy Angular to are SPAs, PWAs, enterprise apps and cross platform mobile applications to name a few.
Over the years Angular has long since transcended the confines of being just a framework. It has now evolved into a comprehensive platform that has its very own tools, capabilities and Structural USPs that assist developers in building robust applications faster and well within budgets.