What is angular used for? Is it good for your project?

If you’re interested in building digital products, then it’s likely that you have heard of Angular. It’s one of the most popular frontend frameworks used today. Companies like Google, PayPal, and Forbes, to name a few, all use it for their frontend web development.

But what exactly does this mean? And why, or when, should we be using it instead of other frontend technology? Let us break down everything there is to know about Angular to help you understand if it’s the right choice for your next project.

Among others, in this piece, we’re going to discuss what makes Angular unique compared to other frameworks. We’ll mention the pros and cons, and how to tell if it would work for your needs. By the end of this article, you will feel confident to make an informed decision on whether Angular is the way to go.

Let’s start with a question…

Is Angular Used for Backend or Frontend?

Angular is an open-source frontend framework. It is a JavaScript-based TypeScript development language that eliminates unneeded features and code to ensure lighter and faster applications.

Angular lets you create engaging and dynamic Single-Page Applications (SPAs) using a number of appealing features, such as:

templating,
two-way binding,
modularity,
RESTful API access,
dependency injection,
AJAX support.

In Angular, you can use HTML as a template language, and its simple syntax can be easily extended to convey the app’s components. Also, with Angular, you don’t have to rely on third-party libraries to create dynamic applications.

Now, you might be wondering…

What is the Angular Framework Exactly?

Angular was developed back in 2009 by a dedicated team at Google. Their intention was to create a free and open-source web application development framework, which could be used by a community of individuals and businesses.

Since its inception, Angular has gained a massive group of users and supporters. In fact, according to Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey 2021, it’s currently the third most popular web framework among professional developers.

The Angular community is divided between AngularJS and modern Angular. The latter is a complete rewrite from the same team that created AngularJS. In this piece, to avoid confusion between previous versions of AngularJS, we’ll refer to the new framework simply as ‘Angular’.

The modern version of the Angular framework is made up of all the different versions, ranging from version 2 to the most recent one – Angular 9. Here are some of the updates that influenced how Angular evolved throughout the years:

A complete rewrite in TypeScript
Introduction of add-on features like a build optimizer which removes unnecessary app code
Performance improvements that led to a reduction in bundle size
The introduction of Google Material Design SDK, Ivy Renderer, and Bazel.

Now that you have a better understanding of Angular and its framework, let’s see…

Angular vs. React – which one should you use for frontend development?

Read the article

What Are the Benefits of Using Angular?

Angular is one of the most popular frameworks for creating web and mobile applications. If you’re planning to build a digital product, Angular may be the perfect tool to create a high-quality app with less code, less time spent on debugging, and high scalability potential.

Here are some of the benefits of using Angular to build your next digital product:

Shorter Development Time

Angular allows a developer to create web apps more quickly and efficiently. This is because of the technical benefits this framework provides, such as thorough documentation, Google assistance and support, and a large, thriving developer community.

Safety

Angular is a popular and trusted platform since it has the backing of a major corporation like Google. Owing to its community assistance – and because it is well-maintained – Angular is considered to be a trustworthy and reliable platform by developers.

Easy Testing

Automated testing for each component of the whole Angular web application is straightforward because it’s broken down into parts. You also don’t have to remember the order in which you should test. All you have to do is adhere to the “one-file-one-module” theory.

Angular code is logical, consistent, and easy to follow for a frontend specialist because of these two structural components:

Modules. The structure of the framework, which includes modules, components, directives, pipes, and services, is referred to as Angular modularity. The framework’s structure is divided into modules and components, making your application ideal for unit testing. Throughout the Angular application development process, each code unit is tested independently, giving you detailed control over the quality.
Components. The newer versions of Angular are built on a component-based framework in which every component exists on its own. The Model View Controller (MVC) approach used in the previous versions breaks down the structure into several levels of the application, whereas components integrate the features within a single class. As a result, whatever component a developer creates is incorporated into the overall structure, which contributes to the consistency of the code.

Cross-Platform Development

Angular is a cross-platform framework. Angular progressive web app (PWA) solutions may be run on multiple platforms, and the framework is extensively used in native-like mobile applications. Because they are competent at emulating real native apps, more and more businesses seek to develop cross-platform solutions with Angular.

Frontend developers formerly utilized the Ionic + Angular combination for cross-platform development. But now, the most popular mixture is Angular + NativeScript.

Cost-Effectiveness

Angular development is cost-effective for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it allows developers to use a single codebase to create multiple versions of a website. Secondly, they can use a wide range of features and functionalities to quickly create high-quality websites. Lastly, as mentioned above, it’s also easy to test Angular features, which minimizes the risk of bugs being revealed at a further stage of development (and saves you a lot of time). As a result, developers can avoid checking all the modules to spot and solve any underlying issues. Bug-free apps result in less frustrated users.

Entrepreneurs that choose Angular usually do so because they desire a robust, cost-effective frontend of the product that will allow them to win large audiences and generate money. That is because the framework provides everything entrepreneurs need.

angular applications drive cost effectiveness

High Performance

Angulars’ versatility, for example, template syntax, the Angular CLI, routers, and other features make the developer’s job simpler and enable fast loading of applications. The framework used is designed to work with a variety of backend programming languages, which allows data from all sources to be shown effectively in the User Interface (UI).

Scalability

Angular makes it easy to add new features, which positively contributes to growing your business. You can use it to create an app that has pluggable modules, lazy loading, testability, a single data flow, self-contained functionality, and redux-like management. You can collaborate with larger teams on apps with different codebases by following the Angular architecture. This makes working with the Angular framework easy to scale up.

However, Angular may not always be the best fit for the development of your app.

Why is Angular Not Always Such a Good Choice for Web Development?

In the world of web development, there are many frameworks to choose from. While we have seen above that Angular has many benefits, it does have its downsides as well that are worth considering.

Here we will explore the potential limitations and roadblocks you can come across with Angular:

The Steep Learning Curve for Developers

Angular has a greater learning curve than other technologies, like Vue and React. Even if the developers have prior knowledge of JavaScript/TypeScript, they must spend a significant amount of time getting acquainted with all aspects of the framework.

To make use of Angular, you must be familiar with RxJS and Typescript:

RxJS is a reactive programming library for asynchronous programming. At least on a fundamental level, understanding RxJS is necessary for Angular usage. Engineers on the beginning of their Angular journey protest against the incomprehensible error messages that require additional study and trial-and-error adjustments.
TypeScript is used to improve the ability to maintain and support the code. However, having to learn it to use Angular does not make the process of getting started any easier. Hence, it is another area of contention among developers.

Complexity

While the component-based architecture may be regarded as an Angular benefit, managing the components can be complex. For example, in Angular, you may end up with as many as five files for each component, need to supply dependencies, and declare the component’s lifecycle interfaces.

working on angular apps can come across as complex

Lower Speeds Compared to Vue and React Frameworks

Overall, Angular delivers good performance, but it takes longer to load than Vue and React. This is generally the case with mobile devices. Due to their size, complex SPAs may be sluggish and less convenient to use.

With an understanding of the pros and cons, next, we’ll discuss…

What is Angular Mainly Used For?

Here, we will discuss the four main types of Angular applications:

Angular Progressive Web Applications (PWAs)

Let’s imagine that your users are in an area with no network, and want to locate a nearby provision store. Your app might not be able to help them out; even if it has all the functionalities it needs to help locate the store, it might not function if the user is offline. Every time the network goes down at any time during the application’s operation, it will stop functioning.

Every time your users get disconnected, it may take a few moments or more for the initial website to load and set up.

One of the reasons why the Progressive Web Application was created is to avoid these network disruptions. PWA uses the current browser technologies to provide a pleasant user experience, even if you enter an area where there is no mobile transfer network or internet connection. PWAs use service workers to act as proxies that intercept network requests, then they cache the response.

PWAs are authorized to be downloaded on the client system. As a result, the user can use the app even when their device is offline.

Single-Page Applications (SPAs)

SPAs are a very popular solution for website development. The user interacts with the software application on a single page, which updates dynamically as they use it. The reason that SPAs are so popular is because they provide a better user experience (UX) when compared to more traditional multi-page applications.

Angular’s routing and data management make the creation of SPAs easier, while still providing excellent performance.

Interfaces with Beautiful Animations

Astonishing User Interface (UI) animations are becoming increasingly popular as a source of web applications’ competitive edge. If leveraged correctly, you can make your app stand out from the crowd and make a strong brand statement.

With Angular, you can create an appealing and intuitive interface that offers great UX. This will help you with user retention, as great UI and UX will leave users wanting to return to your app.

Given that Angular offers an easy-to-use module for user interactions, coding the app will also be a pleasure for your development team.

Enterprise Web Applications

No matter how big your project is, Angular will handle your app design both now, and when it scales. The worldwide business expects a durable enterprise web app with cutting-edge codes, which adhere to established standards.

These apps must be developed in a manner that is both highly optimized and business-driven, as well as user-friendly, in order to assist and promote company growth.

The advantages of using Angular for web development of enterprise applications are numerous, with the potential of attaining goals increasing as it’s translated into TypeScript. Additionally, it has the following characteristics:

Simple and easy maintenance
Automatic completion
Progressive refactoring
Navigation feature refinements
Ability to reuse code

With all this information that you now have, to make sure that Angular is really the right solution for you, let’s sum up…

When Should We Use Angular?

Many companies are building digital products and services, but not all of them know when to use Angular. The question of when to use Angular can be answered by considering your project needs and desired user experience.

Deciding on an Angular project is an excellent option if you’re looking for a framework that:

Is safe and dependable. This is because it’s backed by an open-source community and a major technology firm (Google).
Enables easy testing.
Offers a huge ecosystem of verified third-party components.
Has high scalability potential due to the ease of adding new features.
Cuts the time it takes to develop because it’s a cross-platform tool that allows you to code for various platforms and offers simple, automated testing.
Is priced modestly while offering a native-like feel to the app.

What’s Angular Used For – Summary

Angular, unlike some other platforms, provides significant development flexibility. It makes it simple to create, and test, apps with custom solutions. It is safe and, thanks to its amazing features, can save money when compared to other technologies in terms of development time and cost.

If after reading this, you feel that Angular might be the best solution for your project, reach out! We’d love to discuss how we could assist you in your app development.

Tell us more about your challenges

It’s time for you to focus on growing your business while we develop your app.

Let's talk

What is Angular Used For and When Should You Use it Instead of Other Frontend Technology?