The Pros and Cons of Angular Development: All You Need to Know

Angular JS is a powerful JavaScript framework that has seen considerable growth in recent times. In the US alone, it is used in the development of more than 71,508 websites. When considering this framework for your next project's front-end engineering, it is important to assess its advantages and disadvantages. For companies in the USA looking to use the Angular framework for their next front-end engineering project, it is important to consider the pros and cons of Angular development. To provide a better understanding of the framework, let's quickly review the basics. To get started, let us quickly review the basics. 

What is Angular?

Angular is an open-source framework managed by Google that has a large community of contributors and is the first version of the Angular framework.

AngularJS and Angular

AngularJS app development services involve the development of applications with the original version of AngularJS. This version is an MVC-based JavaScript framework that uses directives to define and manipulate application components. Subsequent versions of Angular, which are based on Google’s TypeScript, also offer component-based architecture for more efficient and robust application development.

AngularJS provides an excellent opportunity for the development of single-page applications. In addition, developers can benefit from its components which make writing and refactoring code easier to use and maintain.

Two-way Data Binding

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture was used to build the framework, allowing for two-way data binding. This meant that any changes to the model would result in an update to the view, reducing the amount of time developers had to spend synchronizing the model and the view.

Big Community

One of the key reasons for AngularJS success was the abundance of tutorials and training materials available, which made problem-solving simpler and quicker for web developers. Furthermore, third-party tools and discussion forums facilitated this process.

The Dependency Injection

The concept of Dependency Injection is when code depends on each other. Whenever a dependency is changed, the corresponding component also has to be altered. Angular JS helps to break down the components and their dependencies, making the code more reusable and easier to manage.

Directives

Angular JS enhanced HTML by introducing directives, which are attributes that modify the DOM and allow developers to create interactive and rich content using HTML.

Cons of AngularJS

Now that you are aware of the benefits of AngularJS, let's look at some of its drawbacks.

Performance

Dynamic apps have not always had satisfactory performance, leading to lagging issues with larger SPAs. 

Mandatory JavaScript Support

Additionally, many users have their JavaScript disabled, making it impossible for them to access a dynamic web application.

Pros of Angular 

Below are some of the advantages of developing applications with Angular:

Component-based Architecture

AngularJS Development Companies in USA have transitioned from the traditional model view (MVC) architecture to a component-based structure for Angular 2 and above versions. This enables better reusability of components throughout the development process and a strict hierarchy of components, where each UI element on a particular screen can be a component itself.

The hierarchical structure of components facilitates reusability in different areas of the application. Additionally, the code is easily readable, allowing new developers to understand it quickly. Moreover, the independent nature of components makes it easier to conduct quality assurance on the smallest units. Finally, the decoupling of components enables a smoother replacement and implementation process.

High Performance

What are the strong pillars that contribute to Angular's high performance?

(i)  Hierarchical Dependency Injection

Hierarchical dependency injection is an approach used in Angular 2 (and later versions) which is much faster than its JavaScript predecessor. By decoupling components from their dependencies, classes can receive them externally instead of being dependent on themselves.

ii)  Differential loading

Differential loading is a feature that was introduced in Angular 8, which helps to improve overall performance by reducing the size of bundles and increasing loading speed for browsers.

(iii) Angular Universal

Angular Universal is a service offered by Angular that allows applications to be rendered on the server instead of the user's web browser. Google provides tools to enable pre-rendering or re-rendering of the app with each user request.

(iv) Ivy renderer

The Ivy renderer, which is the standard compiler included in the Angular 9 update, is an ahead-of-time (AOT) compiler that enables faster compilation and optimization of large applications, thereby improving their performance.

Angular Elements and Directives

If you need to move between different settings, you can reuse your Angular component by turning it into a DOM element. Furthermore, directives can be used to increase HTML's capabilities and to add or remove elements from the DOM tree.

Backing by Google

Having the trust badge of Google, developers have been opting for the Angular framework due to Google's long-term support (LTS) which ensures that the platform's ecosystem will be backed and developed further to expand its market.

Huge Community

Angular's strength lies in the wide range of packages, plug-ins, and development tools it offers. This makes it easier for developers to access help and simplifies the development process if they get stuck.

Material Design Interface

Angular is leveraging material design components in order to improve the user experience by creating an attractive and intuitive interface. Pre-built components in Angular Material make it easier to integrate into existing projects.

Cons of Angular

Now that the advantages of Angular have been discussed, let's look at its drawbacks.

Time-consuming Migration from Angular to Angular JS

Migrating from Angular to AngularJS can be a lengthy and difficult process as the two are vastly different. If running both versions at the same time, a thorough review must be conducted and changes must be made to the new language, resulting in a much heavier application.

Steep Learning Curve

Gaining a thorough understanding of Angular can be challenging, even for those proficient in JavaScript. Working with components, modules, dependency injection, templates, and other components of the framework requires diligent practice. Furthermore, mastering RxJS, an asynchronous programming library, and TypeScript can present an additional learning curve.

The Complexity of the Framework

The complexity of Angular makes it a powerful tool for web development, but understanding it requires specialized expertise and support.

Conclusion

Having explored the advantages and disadvantages of the Angular framework maintained by Google, you now have a better understanding of the features you can make use of and the potential roadblocks you may encounter. The best practices discussed in the Angular framework can help guide you in creating an enterprise-level application. 

If you are confident in the value Angular can bring to your app development project, please take a look at Hepto's achievements as an Angular development company or contact us at [email protected]