Is Angular an enhanced version of Angular.js? What are the differences between the two?
If you’re building a web application, then you must make plans to scale it. And the framework that you use must have capabilities to grow without much effort.
In 2021, over 1 million sites were using Angular.js and over 130 thousand were using Angular. So clearly, we developers seem to have a preference. But do you want to know why?
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Both Angular and Angular.js have different features and abilities. This makes them powerful frameworks for different applications. Let’s discuss the key differences and see which is better for a growing website.
What is Angular.js?
This is a structural framework maintained by Google. You can program using the HTML language. But you can also extend the syntax of HTML. This will allow developers to express the application’s components clearly.
Angular.js is a client-side framework that’s best for building dynamic web apps. Angular.js has an immense library of resources that beginner developers can learn from.
Top companies like YouTube, Netflix, and Tinder use Angular.js.
Scope of Angular.js
Animations
Angular.js has a set of directives with which you can create animations easily. The ng-app, ng-animate, and ng-style all contribute to help carry-out creative animations.
Single-Page Web Applications
Angular.js is one of the best frameworks for building single-page web applications. The framework has built-in validators and directives to create well-defined web applications. You can create even large-scale applications with a single page.
Mobile Applications
Angular.js is perfect for building mobile applications that have real-time updates and live functions like a chatting or GPS app. Angular.js has declarative UI. This makes it possible to have a well-defined user interface for your application.
What is Angular?
Angular is a typescript-based framework that’s used to build scalable web applications. Angular is a component-based framework.
Angular was built by Google and has large open-source resources. The component-based architecture makes coding a web application easy with Angular. The ease of coding makes it possible to hire angular developers effortlessly.
Some of the top companies that use Angular include PayPal, Forbes, and Mixer.
Scope of Angular
Progressive Web App
PWAs are application software that’s delivered to you through the web. It can work on both mobile devices and desktops. The only requirement is a compliant browser. Since it’s available on all devices, the applications need to dynamically change to fit the screen size.
Angular makes it possible to achieve this.
Server-side Apps
Angular apps can be rendered both on the client-side and server-side. This flexibility allows developers to add some benefits like fast loading time. A server-side app also tends to rank better on SERPs.
Enterprise-Level Applications
Large teams often need sophisticated software to build web applications. And Angular has this sophisticated software. The Angular framework is good for building custom single-page web apps.
Though it’s not particularly easy to code on Angular, the reusability makes up for this. Angular also has all the tools to carry out testing, debugging and deployment for the web app.
Key Differences Between Angular.js and Angular
1. Architecture
The architecture forms the fundamental structure of the web application. The system architecture decides how the command will interact with other elements.
Angular.js
Angular.js uses the Model-View-Controller architecture. This isolates the application logic from the UI. The MVC architecture is especially handy when building large-scale applications. Since the code is separated, it becomes easier to divide and organize the web application.
The MVC architecture also makes it easy to modify and update the application. Since the sections are independent of each other, a change in one won’t affect the others.
Angular
Angular has a component-based architecture. The components can be reused which makes this framework quick to develop. You can also cut costs using this type of architecture because of its reusability.
It is also easy to maintain and update the system if it’s component-based.
2. Performance & Speed
Angular.js
Angular was originally developed for web designers, not developers. Because of this, the framework is more suited for building a creative front-end.
The page transfer size is also significantly larger in Angular.js than in Angular. This is why there is an overall lack in the speed and performance of this framework.
Angular
One of the main goals of the Angular framework is to have a better performance than Angular.js. And it does achieve that.
In terms of speed and dependency injection, Angular has a much better performance. It is also possible to develop your applications quicker on Angular.
3. Testing
Angular.js
With the power of unit testing, Angular.js makes it easy to conduct tests on your web application. Isolated unit testing allows you to understand the logic of the code and if it’s been implemented correctly.
Angular.js has tools like Karma, Jasmine, and angular-mock to help facilitate testing.
Angular
The Angular CLI downloads and installs everything you need to test an application. Angular also has unit testing. So like on Angular.js, you can test the function of each code.
But another benefit you get with Angular is end-to-end testing. This helps you focus on the application wholly. It gives you a user perspective while testing. This can help you identify features that users may not find simple to use.
This feature may especially come in handy for a large, dynamic application that’s meant to have many users.
What does a Growing Enterprise need?
Everyone starts a business with the notion to scale. For scaling a webpage, you will need the framework you use to have certain features. Let’s discuss those here.
1. Server-load Management
As you get more users, the web application must be able to handle the heavy traffic. Yes, a large part of traffic management comes from the server size.
But the server load can also be reduced through application programming.
Angular is built to build dynamic and scalable web applications. Angular is built to build dynamic and scalable web applications. Angular has a component-based framework and dependency injection. This gives it an edge in its performance capabilities over Angular.js.
2. Cross-Platform Availability
Mobile-based browsing has far surpassed desktop browsing in 2021. But with the constantly changing trends, we don’t know when the popularity will shift back towards the desktop.
That’s why the framework you use to build your web application should support all platforms. Angular does have mobile-browser support while Angular.js does not.
3. Ease of Coding
A developer may have it in them to write lines and lines of code. But the question is, is it necessary?
Even in large-scale applications, it’s ideal if the need for coding is reduced. Both Angular and Angular.js are capable of developing single-page web applications.
But the codes in Angular are reusable. This means you can scale your website using the same components.
Since the components are independent of one another, one change won’t affect the whole application.
4. Attractive front-end
Impeccable coding and web development are important, yes. But the look of your web app hugely affects its success.
Both Angular and Angular.js are client-side scripting frameworks. This helps you enhance the user interface and build an application that people enjoy using.
Additionally, Angular.js facilitates animations and other creative designs. So for the front-end, Angular.js may be the better choice.
Final Words
All things compared, the Angular framework is slightly better to build a growing class application. It is, after all, the improved version of Angular.js.
