AngularJS

What is AngularJS?

A Complete Guide for Beginners to Master in 2024

Quick Go-Through: AngularJS is one of the best JavaScript frameworks designed to expand HTML syntax. AngularJS framework empowers software developers to develop rich and robust internet applications (RIAs) more effortlessly. In this blog, you'll learn about Angular latest version and it's working, AngularJS architecture, features of AngularJS, Angular advantages and disadvantages, its tools, AngularJS best practices, why it's so popular, and lastly, the future of AngularJS.

In today's rapid technological era, organizations require the tactics and strategies that help them survive the cut-throat competition in the market. And as many of us are aware, businesses need to implement these with the help of web and mobile applications. This has eventually led to a boost in application development services as an efficient marketing software solution for any business's growth. And for developing user-friendly web apps, you need to use frameworks.

We know you understand frameworks, but let's brush up on your knowledge. So, frameworks are code libraries that predefine the collection of some standard functions. Also, there are several different frameworks present in the market. However, there's one framework that is gaining immense popularity nowadays. Any guesses?

Okay, so nowadays, software developers' number 1 choice is AngularJS.

In its heyday, AngularJS was known as the most prominent open-source framework, and many organizations preferred using it for mobile and web app development. However, after a few years, unfortunately AngularJS met a bitter end. This led to many development teams scrambling for other framework options. But on a brighter note, the AngularJS framework successfully beat all the odds and is on the path to regaining its popularity again.

Therefore, this is the perfect time and opportunity if you've not yet got your hands on the AngularJS framework. Also, you don't want to miss all the excellent features. Moreover, AngularJS is a next-gen JavaScript framework where each element functions with every other element with full coordination to make your web apps stand out from the crowd.

Want to know more about the AngularJS framework?

Well, this is the perfect place for you! This blog will provide you with extensive knowledge of different concepts of AngularJS framework. Here, we'll discuss important topics like what is AngularJS, its true meaning, AngularJS architecture, features, advantages of AngularJS, challenges, examples of AngularJS, and many more. To cut it short, it's like an ultimate guide to the AngularJS framework.

However, before moving forward with the fairy tale of the AngularJS framework, we recommend you understand the fundamental difference between Angular and AngularJS. This will help in a clear understanding of Angular basic concepts for beginners.

What is AngularJS?

AngularJS is an open-source JavaScript framework used to build dynamic web applications. Maintained by Google, AngularJS is primarily used to create single-page applications (SPAs) where content is loaded dynamically without the need for full page reloads.

AngularJS is one of the best JavaScript frameworks developed to expand HTML syntax. It empowers software developers to create rich and robust internet applications (RIAs) more effortlessly.

Also, at the place where different JavaScript frameworks concentrate on extending the JavaScript capabilities itself, the true Angular JS meaning is to provide techniques for improving HTML. Therefore, the AngularJS framework helps to expand and enhance the HTML capabilities over being a plain and easy markup language. AngularJS also enables software developers to prevent the challenging workarounds that are usually essential when attempting to develop responsive applications with the help of HTML front-ends. HOW? Just by adding unique features and functionalities like data binding.

Now, let's discuss an interesting topic, i.e., angular version history. As soon as the word history comes, the first thing that must pop into our mind is – who created AngularJS? So, Miško Hevery, a developer at Google, began Angular JS in 2009. It just started as an individual project, and its success made the company realize the significance of AngularJS. Soon, Google took the matter into its hands and started developing and managing the AngularJS framework. They released several versions along with modified AngularJS concepts.

Following is the angular version history list, and yes, don't get confused, as Angular is a blanket term for all the different versions released after AngularJS, i.e., Angular 1.0.

Angular version 1.0, which is known as AngularJS, was released in 2010 by Google
Angular version 2.0 was released in September 2016
Angular 4.0 was released in March 2017
Angular 5.0 was released in November 2017
Angular 6.0 was released in May 2018
Angular 7.0 was released in October 2018
Angular 8.0 was released in May 2019
Angular 9.0 was released in February 2020
Angular 10.0 was released in June 2020
Angular 11.0 was released in November 2020
Angular 12 was released in May 2021
Angular 13 was released in November 2021
Angular 14 was released in June 2022
Angular 15 was released in November 2022
Angular 16 was released in May 2023
On a brighter note, we would like to address that Angular 17 is the Angular latest version released recently on 6th November 2023. Quiet good news, indeed!

We're sure that now you have a good knowledge of – what is AngularJS. Let's now talk about the working of AngularJS applications.

How Does AngularJS Work?

The work involves AngularJS architecture. Don't stress! AngularJS architecture is not a new concept; it just incorporates Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture with the AngularJS framework. Thereby, MVC or AngularJS architecture is a usual web development pattern that any web development services use.

Let's now understand the working of MVC architecture.

Models (M) - The Models constitute the data. For instance, a model depicts the products and services in an online shopping app. Each product or service can have an ID, number, name, cost, and inventory kept in a database.

View (V) - It is the presentation layer of software. Whenever you visit any website or web page, you interact with the View in the MVC of that page.

Controller (C) - It is the business logic layer. In the view layer, the end users utilizing software solutions trigger functionalities stored in the Controller. The Controller then must handle all the Model updates behind the curtains.

Here's one example of AngularJS architecture with MVC pattern up and running - If you see any eCommerce website or web app, it has different input forms, buttons, or other boxes for adding or eliminating items. So, when a user clicks a button in the View, the entry directly moves to the Controller functionalities. The Controller must update the Model as necessary. The modified data is then sent back to the View through the Model.

The Angular JS framework drives the MVC architectural pattern by design. Hence, creating websites integrating AngularJS architecture and MVC pattern helps distinguish various parts of app elements. This helps to make development seamless and application management more viable.

Bonus Point: If you're a tech freak like us and love to read about different technologies and frameworks available in the market or are always curious to know the difference between popular technologies or frameworks. Our blog – Angular vs React, is for you. These are the best JavaScript front-end frameworks, and choosing the winner can be overwhelming. But don't worry; we've done this work for you. Okay, okay! You can thank us later.

Key Features of Angular JS

Let's now understand the crucial features of the Angular JS framework.

       AngularJS is an open-source, free front-end framework utilized by several web and mobile app development service providers worldwide.

       AngularJS framework comes under Apache License version 2.0.

       AngularJS offers software developers different choices to write client-side apps utilizing JavaScript in a clear MVC (Model View Controller) approach.

       Angular JS framework is a robust JavaScript-based development framework to develop RICH Internet Application (RIA).

   The applications you write in the AngularJS framework come with cross-browser compliance. AngularJS automatically manages all the JavaScript code ideal for each browser.

That's not all for the features of AngularJS. There are some additional features also. So, let's look at them too.

Scope – They are the objects that refer to the Model. Simply stated, they are cement between View and Controller.

Data-Binding – The process is automatic data synchronization between Model and View elements.

Services – AngularJS framework consists of different inbuilt services.

Controller – They are the JavaScript functionalities that confine a specific scope.

Directives – They are markers on DOM components. Software developers use them to produce custom HTML tags. AngularJS framework consists of inbuilt commands.

Filters – These help to choose subsets for different items from an array and return a fresh new array.

Routing – It is an Angular JS concept for switching views.

Templates – All the data from the Model and Controller are stored here, also known as the rendered View.

Deep Linking – It enables developers to encode the application state in the URL. This is necessary for bookmarking. Also, you can quickly restore the application in the same condition with the help of a URL.

Dependency Injection – Angular JS framework consists of an inbuilt dependency injection which helps developers with seamless software development.

MVVM – Take note: AngularJS does not implement and integrate MVC in its conventional form. Instead, it uses an approach closer to MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel). Humorously it is also known as Model View Whatever. Yes, whatever!

These were some of the core features of AngularJS every beginner should know and understand before starting with in-depth research.

The coming sections will tell you about some significant advantages and disadvantages of Angular because knowing both sides of a story is essential. It's only a fair game!

Advantages of AngularJS

Let's now go through some of the best advantages of AngularJS.

1. Open-Source Framework – Since AngularJS is an open-source framework, you can enjoy and experience minimal issues or loopholes. This is one of the most essential benefits of AngularJS.

2. Provides Two-Way Binding - Be it the previous version or Angular latest version, the framework always helps to synchronize the data and presentation layer. Because of this feature, you'll never need to write additional JavaScript code just to keep the data in your HTML code and your data layer coordinated. AngularJS framework automatically does this for you. You only require defining which control relies on which component of your Model.

3. Material Design Library – Angular JS has a remarkable Angular material library with several attractive designs. These material designs assist software developers in developing responsive and valuable user interfaces.

4. Lightweight Web Apps - The earlier versions of the AngularJS framework had a significant size problem that limits fast loading. Angular's latest versions now consist of enhanced functionalities; this helps to make a lighter web app in comparison to other models. Also, to make a web app more efficient, you can opt for some of the best Angular frameworks.

5. Different Testing Techniques – AngularJS development supports both unit testing and integration testing. Good news, indeed!

Limitations of AngularJS
Let's now also discuss the disadvantages of the AngularJS framework.

1. Steep Learning Curve - AngularJS framework has a high learning curve. A software developer well-versed in JavaScript concepts would find it challenging to grasp AngularJS concepts speedily. At a point, they would discover ReactJS to be much more effortless to deploy. However, you need not worry. If you want to opt for AngularJS, our software developers will make your work much more manageable.

2. Complicated Software - Software development considers Angular JS development complex and challenging. Since it is difficult to manage and maintain due to its several components, it also consists of different third-party libraries and syntaxes.

3. Time-Consuming Systems - There are only minor differences in the working methodologies of Angular and AngularJS frameworks. So, migrating the legacy systems built on Angular to AngularJS is a real-time-consuming process that maximizes the loading effect directly on the processor.

Overcoming these limitations is not a hard nut to crack. Experts at Radixweb can help you overcome all these issues and challenges seamlessly.

What Can You Do with Angular JS?

As you might have got a little bit of an idea about the proven elegance of AngularJS in the world of front-end development, let's explore some of the best reasons that give Angular JS development an upper hand over other options:

1. Provides Unit Testing and Dependency Injection

AngularJS application consists of an inbuilt dependency injection which helps the software developers to build, test, and know the application quickly. Before the Angular JS framework, the testing process was time-consuming and often overwhelming for the testers.

Therefore, AngularJS development provides a simple testing process with the help of Dependency Injection. It bifurcates code into testable elements to detect any loopholes and issues quickly. As there is an interconnection throughout the application, the framework ensures that different elements function as anticipated using mock assessments. Any reputable AngularJS development company will utilize a unit testing strategy to develop highly efficient applications.

2. Streamlined MVC Pattern

In a regular MVC application, the Model layer helps to maintain the data, and the View layer helps to demonstrate it. A controller then allows the connection of these two layers. AngularJS framework streamlines the implementation of the MVC pattern in your development process. All your software developer needs to do is divide the application into different MVC elements; the rest you can leave on the AngularJS framework. It blends other MVC elements automatically, taking less time for code development. Fascinating, isn't it?

3. Reusable Code

Angular JS development enables the classification of HTML to reuse its elements. The software developers can recycle and reuse similar code that is already written. But why code-reusability? See, it can save a lot of time, resulting in faster development while ensuring uniformity of the same AngularJS applications.

4. Proper Directives Handling

AngularJS framework offers various additional features and functionalities by utilizing directives with HTML. You can easily access these extra components with the help of the Document Object Model (DOM) in the system and without any simulation. As an outcome, developers can build a feature-rich web page for any website or web app development services.

5. HTML User Interface

Another simple yet fascinating feature of Angular JS development is that it utilizes HTML language to build user apps. If you come from a tech background, you'd know that HTML is one of the most straightforward and general declarative languages everyone loves and is easy to adopt. AngularJS framework, thereby, utilizes short, not-so-complex tags to build an adequately arranged User Interface.

We hope you get your answer to the question – why use AngularJS? Furthermore, software developers at Radixweb embrace all these features and are well-versed in all the essential Angular JS concepts.

Well, congratulations! We've reached the second half of our blog. And we promise you that the following sections will be much more enjoyable You'll learn about some significant aspects of AngularJS, the best tools, AngularJS best practices, why it's so popular, and the future of AngularJS.

Feeling curious already? Then why wait?

Examples of AngularJS Applications

'A good example has twice the value of good advice' – Albert Schweitzer

Well, yes, honestly said!

Following are some of the significant examples of Angular JS applications:

T-Mobile - Known among the prominent mobile providers, T-Mobile utilizes the AngularJS framework for its primary website.

Upwork – There's no chance you haven't heard of this platform, as it is trendy among employers and freelancers. Upwork utilizes the AngularJS framework to build an interactive SPA (Single Page Application) experience for its core features.

Scholastic – Scholastic is a multi-national publishing organization that deploys AngularJS development to update its website dynamically and provide a better user experience.

Best AngularJS Tools

Below we've enlisted the best AngularJS tools that our software developers at Radixweb swear by. Let’s go through some of them.

1. Ment.io - Ment.io's USP is its capability to operate independently without any jQuery integration. This provides software development teams with unique levels of flexibility and scalability.

2. Karma - Karma is known as QA and testing framework, which has made it the leading AngularJS tool for performance testing. The USP of Karma enables software developers to assess their programs in a true-to-life environment.

3. Jasmine - Jasmine is a full-fledged Angular JS framework for testing; this is why it was made into our list of AngularJS tools. Jasmine's streamlined configuration helps eliminate the developers' requirement to depend on different browsers or JavaScript testing ecosystems.

4. Protractor - Protractor is yet another winner in our list of the best Angular JS development tools. It is an Angular JS framework for end-to-end testing.

AngularJS Best Practices

Here are some AngularJS best practices and tips by Radixweb's expert software developers. These AngularJS best practices will help you streamline your overall application development life cycle, simplify work, and contribute to developing efficient front-end applications.

You must utilize clean and small functions when writing Angular JS code, as small parts are effortless to test and manage simultaneously.

Organizing files is one of the essential AngularJS best practices. Arranging the files is referred to as structuring.

AngularJS framework doesn't write any code to update or alter the Document Object Model. This can be accomplished with the help of an HTML extension.

Performance optimization is yet another essential aspect of Angular JS development. And for this, you need to deploy Digest Cycle, as it tells you about your app's overall performance.

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Why is AngularJS so Popular?

Angular JS is gaining significant popularity among developers and stakeholders for being one of the top front-end frameworks. Regardless of several frameworks available in the market, the first choice is for certified web developers the AngularJS framework. Why? All due to its reliability.

Google introduced the AngularJS framework in 2009, and since then, it has been prominently utilized for single-page web development.

In AngularJS architecture, the source code can be arranged using the Model View Controller pattern.

Angular JS framework offers the best feature, i.e., two-way data binding between View and Model, that minimizes the work. This also helps developers, designers, and developers work in parallel.

In the AngularJS framework, you can use HTML for templating.

AngularJS framework contains Plain Old Java Object (POJO). Wondering what is POJO? In simple terms, with the help of POJO, web developers can modify the properties seamlessly and effortlessly.

Angular JS also helps with unit testing, which further helps handle and manage any project size.

What is the Future of Angular JS?

Till now, you must've understood that AngularJS is the most widely utilized JavaScript framework for developing web, desktop, and mobile applications. Undoubtedly learning the AngularJS JavaScript framework is worth it. And we swear by what we say because the future of Angular JS development is bright like the sun.

Learning AngularJS concepts and Angular latest version will help you seize your dream job in the IT sector with a handsome salary (of course!). Just think you nailed the interview and got an excellent job, all because you knew the basic AngularJS concepts. Congratulations (in advance) for gaining a feather in your cap! Companies nowadays prefer to hire AngularJS developers; this led to a higher demand for AngularJS experts. Top MNCs and huge conglomerates like Tech Mahindra, Elance, Capgemini, Wipro, IBM, and many more are actively hiring AngularJS professionals.

The future of Angular JS is not all about AngularJS developers. There are several other choices for a great career in the AngularJS development field, including: