When Is Angular Framework Most Helpful?

By Xano | November 29, 2021

First introduced by Google in 2010, Angular was built to be an ever-evolving framework. Angular updates frequently and, each time, adds new tools and features for modern development needs. For years, it has come highly recommended, but is it right for you?

There are many types of applications that would benefit from Angular, but there are some specific instances where using Angular may result in extraneous work for you and your team. Below, we will provide a breakdown of when it's best to use Angular, and when you are better off exploring other options.

What Is Angular Framework?

Since its introduction to the tech sphere, Angular has grown into one of the most popular open source Javascript frameworks. Based on Typescript, Angular provides developers with an impressive list of robust tools for creating the client side of web applications. Angular is updated frequently by Google and, since its creation, has mostly managed to stay on top of the latest tech trends.

Angular remains widely used for a variety of reasons. Solid documentation and plenty of online resources make Angular easy to pick up, even for novice developers, and it has strong support from the Google team. It also easily integrates with third-party tools and components, making it easy to customize applications and websites while using Angular.

That being said, no single framework is right for every single project. There are times when Angular may be ill-equipped to handle your team's needs.

When To Use Angular Framework

Enterprise/Business-Level Applications

Angular comes with a number of unique features that make it the superior choice for bigger projects, especially if you are working under tight deadlines.

Typescript allows you to reuse components and modules while building an application. Tools like autocompletion, advanced refactoring, and navigation features also help expedite the development process. Angular's use of both unit and end-to-end testing make debugging much faster. Plus, if you need to produce a prototype, Angular requires significantly less coding to do so.

Applications With Dynamic Content

Angular was created primarily for single-page applications. Its wide range of SPA development tools come in handy when building applications where content changes depending on user behavior. Another major perk of Angular is its dependency injections. These ensure that each time one component changes, related components change automatically.

Progressive Web Applications

Since Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) were first introduced by Google in 2015, Angular has been incorporating updates with PWAs in mind. Angular 5 comes with built-in PWA support and Angular 6's CLI commands allow developers to convert any existing application into a PWA. If you are working on a PLW, it's highly recommended that you go with Angular.

When To Avoid Angular Framework

Static Content

Pages with static content that do not require additional customization will not work well with Angular as it generates an overload of work. As a result, pages are much heavier than necessary. This often leads to lagging during load times, which slows your entire project down considerably.

Microservice Architecture

If your application utilizes a microservice architecture on the frontend, Angular will typically do more harm than good. When working with a microservice design, you want to be flexible when it comes to selecting your tools, something that isn't really possible when using Angular. You have minimal control over application size, so you'll be unable to pick and choose the features you actually need.

SEO-Optimized Applications And Websites

Search engines tend to have a hard time reading JavaScript. While frameworks like React have found ways to mitigate this issue in recent years, this a rare instance when Angular lags slightly behind the times. Angular isn't quite there yet when it comes to being SEO-friendly. If ranking high in search engines is a major priority for your project, Angular is therefore not your best option.

Certain Short-Term Projects

Angular is sometimes not an ideal solution for short-term projects, especially projects built with limited resources. The framework's front-end can be too complex to handle when working with a small team, especially a team without any previous Angular experience.

That being said, the call is a bit subjective here. You'll have to take your team's skill set into account. If your developers do have experience with Angular, it might be easier to stick with what you know, even for shorter-term projects.

Angular Framework: The Bottom Line

Angular remains a highly advantageous framework, which is why it's been utilized for major applications from YouTube to Google Cloud. However, there are some important factors to consider to help determine if Angular is right for you. Before settling on a framework, spend some time evaluating your project's specific needs.

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