Angular rank as the second most used technology after Node.js in Stack Overflow's 2018 survey. The reasons for such a ranking are clear: this front-end tool equips with powerful components that help developers write readable, maintainable and user-friendly code. But despite all the advantages of Angular, you should understand that this tool can sometimes work against you and your service instead of helping it.

When choosing a technology stack for your project, it is essential to select the right tools to speed up development and reduce your costs. In this article, we'll give a brief introduction to Angular, explain the pros and cons of Angular, and provide practical applications of Angular.js.

Introduction to Angular

Angular (also known as Angular 2+) is a web development platform built-in TypeScript that provides developers with powerful tools for building the client-side of web applications.

Angular, launched in 2010 and formerly known as AngularJS, is a JavaScript framework intended initially for building single-page applications. At the time, SPAs were becoming increasingly popular, as was the AngularJS framework. But over time, the emergence of new tools like React and Vue, which offered broader functionality, made the Angular team think about improving their product.

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In 2016, Google introduced a new, completely redesigned version of the tool and introduced it -- Angular. The new features included semantic versioning based on the MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH standard, a command-line interface (CLI), and a fully component-based architecture. The major drawback was that this version was completely different from the previous version and was not backward compatible. Developers had to rewrite all their code if they wanted to use Angular instead of AngularJS in their projects.

The next version, Angular 4, became available in March 2017. This version offered faster compilation, minor code, better bug fix notifications, and Angular 2. A few months later, the Angular team released the next version of Angular with Build Optimizer, an improved compiler, and updated dependency management. Angular 6, released in May 2018, introduced the Ivy performance engine, new CLI controls, and Angular Elements. The next version of Angular expects in late fall 2018. The continuous improvement of this platform is the main reason why front-end developers so love it.

Why Angular?

So what are the main benefits that developers can get from using Angular in their projects? We will focus on Angular 2+ and skip AngularJS as we don't use the first version in our projects. The advantages of Angular are as follows:

Detailed documentation. Angular has detailed documentation where developers can find all the necessary information without asking their colleagues. Therefore, developers can quickly find technical solutions and solve emerging problems.

Google Support. Many developers consider Google support as another advantage of Angular, making the platform reliable. At ng-conf 2017, Angular developers confirmed that Google would support Angular in the long run.

Large ecosystem of third-party components. Angular's popularity has led to thousands of additional tools and features that can use in Angular applications. As a result, you can get extra functionality and productivity enhancements.

Component-based architecture. In its second release, Angular switched from an MVC architecture to a component-based architecture. In this architecture, an application divides into independent logical and functional components. These components can easily replace, disconnected, and reused in other parts of the application. Moreover, the independence of the members makes it easier to test a web application and ensure that each component works seamlessly.

Angular Universal.

Used for server-side rendering, Angular Universal brings several benefits to your project. First, it facilitates web crawlers to improve your web app's rank in search engines. Second, it decreases page load time and improves performance on mobile devices. These factors help you increase the number of users on your website.

Angular imperfections

Every tool has both strong and weak sides. To make a wise decision, you should also consider what difficulties you may face while using Angular. Angular has the following imperfections:

Hard to learn

Most developers claim that Angular is quite complex, which is why it can be difficult for newcomers. And even though the component-based architecture makes code more readable, it's still difficult to manage and set dependencies between components. TypeScript only adds fuel to the fire since you need additional time to learn it.

Poor SEO options

Even though the Angular team does its utmost to make Angular SEO-friendly, many developers still complain about poor accessibility for search crawlers. It explains by the fact that single-page applications often change content and meta tags using JavaScript. Some search bots are unable to see these changes and hence see only the basic page template. Besides, deep links on a single-page app are hard to get indexed. Usually, developers need to make additional SEO efforts to optimize web apps built with Angular. Angular Universal and Prerender.io are standard solutions.

Difficulties with backward compatibility

Developers can't switch directly from AngularJS to Angular. There's an entire section in the Angular documentation that enumerates all possible ways to deal with migration.
But it's fair to say that older versions of Angular are perfectly backward compatible. For example, you'll have no difficulty migrating from the fifth to the fourth version.

What projects can benefit from Angular?

1| Enterprise web apps

TypeScript has all the features needed to develop large-scale projects, as the Angular team claims. TypeScript is equipping with autocompletion, advanced refactoring, and navigation features. What's more, thanks to the architecture of this tool, you can easily reuse and maintain code.

2| Apps with dynamic content

Since the primary purpose of Angular was to create single-page web applications, it has a wide range of tools for SPA development. What's more, it's ideal for websites where the content should change dynamically based on user behavior and preferences. Dependency injections ensure that if one component alters, adjust other details automatically.

3| Progressive Web Applications (PWA).

Google developed pWAs in 2015. The Angular team anticipates the growing popularity of PWAs and is working to simplify the process of creating PWAs. Angular 5 has built-in support for PWAs. The new CLI commands you included in Angular 6 will allow developers to turn their web applications into advanced web applications quickly.

What projects don't need Angular?

Sometimes Angular makes your project more cumbersome. We do not recommend using this tool for the following use cases:

Lightweight websites with static content. Angular is ideal for websites with a dynamic range, but it is not sufficient for creating small websites with static content. Implementing Angular, in this case, will only increase the overall size of the project and, therefore, the load time significantly. It is why we do not recommend using Angular for landing pages and websites with static content.

SEO optimized websites. Angular is far from SEO-friendly, so it's best not to use it if your goal is to appear at the top of search results. Otherwise, be prepared to put extra effort into optimizing your web application for search engines.

Short-term projects. Angular is not a good solution for short-term projects or startups with limited resources. It's also not a good idea for projects with few developers, as the front-end framework's complexity can be challenging to manage.

Apps with a microservices design approach. Angular is not suitable for applications with a microservices architecture on the front end. If you want to be more flexible in choosing additional tools, don't choose this tool. Angular is a one-size-fits-all solution - it doesn't give you total control over the size of the application by letting you choose only the elements you need.

Popular web applications built with Angular.

The many benefits Angular offers developers are the main reason why many of the world's leading companies use this tool for their projects. Below is an overview of some of the most popular companies that use Angular:

There are a few crucial things to consider when deciding to use Angular. When thinking about the technology stack, you should carefully analyze your project. If you have any questions or any help required you can contacttop angular development companies in India for the right decision.