Angular is one of the most popular open-source front-end frameworks available to developers. It was initially developed to simplify the process of developing dynamic web applications. The history of Angular framework can be traced back to the year 2009, when two developers from Google created the framework. The official release of the framework happened approximately a year after its creation.
The standout feature of the initial version of the Angular framework, AngularJS was that it allowed users to easily turn HTML-based text into dynamic content. The web markup language, HTML was static before the arrival of AngularJS. Due to this, users were not able to interact with the interfaces on HTML pages actively. During this period, web developers were forced to rely on other complex processes to build dynamic single page applications.
The launch of AngularJS changed things, as developers were able to easily build dynamic apps and users were able to see web pages with elements, dynamic forms, and more. The developers at Google are still maintaining Angular and they are constantly trying to improve it. New versions of Angular are being launched with new features and improvements, and Angular 9 is the latest version of the framework.
How Popular is Angular
Angular has grown to be one of the most preferred choices of web developers when creating dynamic and complex web applications. A recent study revealed that thousands and ten thousands of active websites on the internet are currently using the Angular framework. In fact, the website of one of the most popular over the top streaming service providers in the world, Netflix was built with Angular.
In addition, the website of the internationally renowned toy manufacturer company, Logo and the popular outsourcing marketplace, Freelancer is also designed with Angular. A number of popular web apps that some of us use on a daily basis like Gmail and PayPal are also developed based on the same framework.
One of the major reasons for the popularity of Angular framework is that it has innovative and compelling features that simplifies the process of web app development. Developers who are using Angular will not even have to rely on third party libraries when developing dynamic web apps. Here are a few more reasons that will explain why Angular is the best option when it comes to dynamic web app development.
Why Angular
Easy to Use framework and simple testing
Let us start with the most obvious and simple reason why developers love to use Angular for their projects. Angular is an easy to use open-source JavaScript framework, which prevents the need to write tons of code.
In fact, the framework has plenty of features that will help you develop web apps with just minimal coding. The requirement to write getters and setters in different types of data models has also been removed. This will help developers to save plenty of their valuable time and effort.
Massive Community Support
As we mentioned earlier, Angular framework was developed and is currently managed by Google. Therefore, it has great credibility when compared to other frameworks and this has encouraged several developers to choose Angular over other options. As a result, Angular has a massive community with expert developers who are skilled enough to make improvements to the framework.
Events, meetings, and conferences related to Angular are often conducted all over the globe, where developers will be able to learn about new developments and advancements in the technology. If you encounter any issue during an Angular app development process, you can turn to thousands of experts for help.
Simplified MVC architecture
One of the best things about Angular framework is that it makes use of MVC architecture for developing dynamic and powerful web applications. MVC, which stands for Model View Controller is actually a popular software design pattern commonly used for web app development. MVC is made up of three separate parts as the name indicates : Model, View, and Controller.
Model serves the crucial purpose of managing the application data and it also responds to the instructions from the controller and requests from view. The second part, View is accountable for displaying the entire data or a portion of the data. Finally, the Controller acts as a bridge to establish connection between View and Modal.
Dual Data Binding
AngularJS applications usually contain a data model, which is nothing but a collection of the entire data available for the app. Data binding can be defined as the synchronization between view and the model. One of the standout features of Angular framework is undoubtedly dual data binding.
When data within the Model changes, it can be reflected on View too. Likewise, a change in the data within View will result in changes in Model too. Model and View gets updated automatically and immediately thanks to the dual data binding feature of Angular framework.
Single Page Application Feature
AngularJS framework offers a number of features and options that makes building single page applications a lot simpler and faster. In fact, developers will even be able to easily create and manage online forms on web pages when working with Angular. Changing the behavior of HTML elements within the interface can also be done quickly.
In addition, Angular also offers developers the option to create a set of confirmations. You can either display error messages in separate fields or anywhere in the form. Even beginners with minimal knowledge on Angular will be able to build single-page applications thanks to the framework’s excellent features.
Dependency Injection
Dependencies gives you a clear idea on how different types of components and connected. It also explains how a change in the single part of the code can have a huge impact on other parts of the code. Dependency injection feature makes the code maintainable and readable, which will help you save time and effort.
Angular has been equipped with dependency injectors since its second version. These depenency injectors can be either replaced or changed without the need to refigure exisiting components. Dependency injection also allows developers to share scripts they have created with Angular without any hassles.
Ivy Renderer
Another excellent feature that is included with the Angular JavaScript framework is Ivy Renderer. This excellent tool or features serves the crucial purpose of translating the templates and components of an app into simple JS code. The translated code can be easily displayed with the help of an internet browser.
One of the characteristics aspects of Ivy Renderer is the tree shaking technique. Tree shaking is a term that is used to define the removal of dead or unwanted code. This will make your Angular web application load a lot more faster.
When Should You Use Angular Framework
From the above-statements, it is evident that web developers heavily on Angular framework when developing complex and dynamic web applications. In addition to that, Angular is arguably the best framework out there if you are looking to build single page applications. Here are a few more web app development projects where it would be best to opt for Angular framework.
Progressive web applications that makes use of modern and advanced web technologies to offer an app-like experience to users can be build with Angular. Progressive web apps were initially developed in the year 2015.
The developers of Angular were smart enough to figure out that these apps would become popular. So, they included built-in PWA support and new CLI commands in the new versions of Angular to help users easily build PWAs.
Angular admin templates are an ideal candidate for developers who are working on developing enterprise web applications. TypeScript is rich in features that are essential for building large-scale enterprise applications. Some of the standout features available with TypeScript include advance refactoring, autocompletion, and advanced navigation.
When Not To Use Angular
It is evident that Angular is an excellent option when designing websites with dynamic content. However, using Angular to build websites with static content is not exactly a good idea. This is becuase Angular will increase the overall size of the project and boosts the load time. So, it is best not to use Angular framework in such a case.
One of the major cons of Angular is that it not an SEO-friendly framework. So, if your goal is to secure a higher rank in the search engine results page of Google, it would be wise not to use Angular. Or else, be ready to make extra efforts to reach the top options. Lastly, Angular is not recommended as an ideal solution for short-term projects too.
Why Should You Learn Angular
As discussed above, the biggest advantage of Angular is that is maintained and supported by Google. It is evident that Google will be most-likely planning to stick with Angular and release new versions with added functionalities and features. Several Google apps also use this framework, so Google must be very optimistic about Angular.
Despite its minor flaws, Angular is a dynamic and full-featured open-source framework. The maintainability, flexibility, and usability of the framework will encourage developers to continue using it for a very long time. So, learning Angular is an excellent idea will open your world to new career opportunities. If you are beginner, you could start with Angular Docs website and then look for online video tutorials or courses on the same.