Jubulah Labs > Tech > Angular

Angular
Frontend Web Framework

What Is Angular?

Angular is a powerful, open-source JavaScript framework developed by Google for building dynamic web applications. Unlike React, Angular is a full-fledged framework, offering an all-in-one solution for building complex, enterprise-level web applications. Angular is based on TypeScript and uses a component-based architecture to build scalable and maintainable applications. It provides tools for routing, state management, and form handling, making it a go-to framework for building feature-rich, large-scale applications.

Angular follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern, helping developers structure their applications in a way that separates concerns, improving code maintainability. Angular's use of TypeScript provides strong typing, which makes the development process smoother by enabling early bug detection and better tooling support. Additionally, Angular’s powerful data-binding features and dependency injection system make it an excellent choice for managing large, complex applications.

Why Use Angular?

Angular is a comprehensive framework for building large-scale applications. Here are some key reasons why you might choose Angular for your project:

1. Full-Featured Framework: Unlike other libraries, Angular is a complete framework that provides everything you need out of the box: from routing to form validation, state management, and HTTP services. This makes it easy to start a project without having to integrate multiple third-party libraries.
2. TypeScript Support: Angular is built with TypeScript, a superset of JavaScript, which provides optional static typing, interfaces, and classes. This improves code quality, tooling support, and developer productivity by catching errors early in the development process.
3. Modular Architecture: Angular’s component-based architecture allows developers to build reusable and modular components, making it easier to scale applications as they grow. It also enables teams to work independently on different parts of an application.
4. Two-Way Data Binding: Angular offers powerful two-way data binding, which automatically synchronizes data between the model and view. This reduces the need for manual DOM manipulation and improves the performance of real-time applications.
5. Strong Community and Google Support: Angular is backed by Google and has a strong, active community. This means regular updates, bug fixes, and a wealth of open-source libraries and resources available to developers.

Who Is Using Angular?

Angular is trusted by many large organizations for building complex and scalable applications. Some of the most notable apps and projects using Angular include:

• Google: Angular is developed and maintained by Google, and it is used in several of their applications, including Google Cloud and Google Ads.
• Microsoft: Microsoft uses Angular in some of its web applications, including Office 365's web components.
• Gmail: Google’s popular email service, Gmail, uses Angular for its frontend to provide a fast, dynamic, and responsive user experience.
• Upwork: Upwork, a leading freelancing platform, uses Angular for its web application to manage jobs, freelancers, and communication tools.
• Deutsche Bank: Deutsche Bank leverages Angular in their web platforms to provide scalable and maintainable enterprise applications for banking services.
• IBM: IBM uses Angular in some of their enterprise applications, including IBM Cloud and other cloud-based services.

Why Angular Might Not Be a Good Fit

While Angular offers a full-featured, robust framework, there are certain situations where it might not be the best fit for your project:

• Steep Learning Curve: Angular is a comprehensive framework with a steep learning curve. For new developers or teams unfamiliar with TypeScript, RxJS, or Angular’s complex structure, it may take time to get up to speed. It is more opinionated than other frameworks, which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on your team's experience.
• Large Bundle Size: Due to its feature-rich nature, Angular applications can sometimes lead to larger bundle sizes compared to lightweight frameworks like React or Vue.js. This can affect load times, especially for users with slower internet connections or devices.
• Complex Configuration: Angular’s tooling and configuration can be complex, particularly for smaller projects or teams with limited resources. The build process involves configuring Angular CLI, TypeScript settings, and sometimes Webpack configurations, which can be cumbersome for simple applications.
• Slower Initial Rendering: Angular's two-way data binding and use of directives can lead to slower initial rendering compared to other frameworks like React. For applications that require extremely fast load times, this might become a bottleneck.

If your project doesn’t require the full range of features Angular offers or if you’re looking for a more lightweight, less opinionated solution, you may want to explore alternatives like React or Vue.js. Angular is ideal for building large-scale applications where you need a powerful, scalable framework, but it may be overkill for smaller or less complex projects.

Would you like help deciding which technology to use for your project? Reach out to us at hello@jubulah.com for a free consultation.

Quick Look

• Category: JS Framework
• Language: JavaScript
• Released: September 2016
• License: MIT
• Use Case: Frontend