Angular Beginner’s Guide to Modern Web Development

6 min readJan 22, 2024

In the ever-evolving landscape of web development, choosing the right framework can be a daunting task, especially for beginners. Angular, developed and maintained by Google, has emerged as a powerful and popular front-end framework, offering a comprehensive solution for building dynamic and responsive web applications.

Whether you’re just starting your journey in web development or looking to expand your skill set, this article aims to demystify Angular and provide you with a solid understanding of its key concepts and benefits. Let’s embark on a journey into the world of Angular, exploring its architecture, features, and how it simplifies the development process.

By the end of this article series, you’ll have a foundational grasp of Angular and be well-equipped to dive deeper into the world of modern web development. So, buckle up as we unravel the layers of Angular and discover how it can empower you to create robust and maintainable web applications.

In this chapter we are going to mainly consider about Angular Essentials and Modules and Build Process. Let’s Begin !!

1. Semantic Versioning and Release Schedule

Understanding how Angular follows semantic versioning is crucial for managing updates and dependencies in your projects. The release schedule ensures you stay up-to-date with the latest features and bug fixes.

# Install a specific version of Angular CLI
npm install -g @angular/cli@15.0.0

# Update Angular CLI to the latest version
ng update @angular/cli

2. Angular CLI

The Angular Command Line Interface (CLI) is a powerful tool for creating, building, testing, and deploying Angular applications. Familiarize yourself with basic commands and project structure.

# Create a new Angular project
ng new my-angular-app

# Generate a new component
ng generate component my-component

3. CLI: ng Update, ng Add, and Schematics

Explore Angular CLI commands like ng update and ng add for updating dependencies and adding features. Understand the power of schematics for generating and modifying code.

# Update Angular dependencies to the latest versions
ng update

# Add Angular Material to your project
ng add @angular/material

4. Environments Config

Modern web applications often require configuration variations for different environments. Angular’ s approach to environment configuration empowers developers to manage settings seamlessly. Whether it’s connecting to a different API endpoint or toggling debugging features, this section will guide you through configuring and utilizing environments effectively, ensuring your application adapts to diverse deployment scenarios.

Example code block for Config ( enviroments.prod.ts )

export const environment = {
  production: true,
  apiBaseUrl: 'https://production-api.example.com'
};

5. Modules and Build Process:

Angular’ s modular architecture is a cornerstone of maintainable and scalable applications. In this segment, we’ll delve into the concept of modules, understanding how they structure an application and facilitate code organization. Simultaneously, we’ll explore the build process, shedding light on the crucial choices between Ahead-of-Time (AOT) and Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation. A solid grasp of these concepts is essential for crafting efficient Angular applications.

Example code block for AppModule ( app.module.ts )

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { AppComponent } from './app.component';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [AppComponent],
  imports: [BrowserModule],
  bootstrap: [AppComponent]
})
export class AppModule {}

6. Module Architectures

The structure and scalability of your application are greatly influenced by the module architecture you choose in the complex world of Angular development. Angular’ s modular architecture facilitates effective code organization, improves reusability, and preserves a distinct division of responsibilities for developers. Feature Modules and Shared Modules are the two fundamental designs that make this modular concept possible.

6.1 .Feature Modules: Organizing by Features

What are Feature Modules?

Feature Modules in Angular are modules designed to encapsulate the functionality of a specific feature or a cohesive set of related features in your application. They help organize code, making it more modular and maintainable. Each feature module typically contains its own components, services, and other related artifacts.

How to Use Feature Modules:

// feature.module.ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { FeatureComponent } from './feature.component';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [FeatureComponent],
  exports: [FeatureComponent],
})
export class FeatureModule {}

import feature Module into app.module.ts

// app.module.ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { BrowserModule } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { FeatureModule } from './feature/feature.module';
import { AppComponent } from './app.component';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [AppComponent],
  imports: [BrowserModule, FeatureModule],
  bootstrap: [AppComponent],
})
export class AppModule {}

Pros of Feature Modules:

Modularity: Feature modules promote modularity by encapsulating related features.
Reusability: Feature modules can be easily reused across different parts of your application.

Cons of Feature Modules:

Complexity: If not managed properly, an application with many feature modules might become complex to navigate.

6.2 .Shared Modules: Encapsulating Common Functionality

What are Shared Modules?

Shared Modules in Angular serve as containers for components, directives, and pipes that are commonly used across multiple modules in your application. They help avoid redundancy by providing a centralized place for shared functionality.

How to Use Shared Modules:

Create a Shared Module

// shared.module.ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { CommonComponent } from './common.component';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [CommonComponent],
  exports: [CommonComponent],
})
export class SharedModule {}

Import in Feature Module

// feature.module.ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { SharedModule } from '../shared/shared.module';
import { FeatureComponent } from './feature.component';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [FeatureComponent],
  imports: [SharedModule],
  exports: [FeatureComponent],
})
export class FeatureModule {}

Pros of Shared Modules:

Code Reusability: Shared modules promote code reuse for common components, directives, and pipes.
Consistency: Centralizing shared functionality ensures consistency across the application.

Cons of Shared Modules:

Dependency Issues: If not managed properly, shared modules might introduce unnecessary dependencies.

Choosing Between Feature and Shared Modules

Use Feature Modules When:

You want to organize code related to a specific feature.
You want to encapsulate the functionality of a cohesive set of features.
You want to keep related components, services, and other artifacts together.

Use Shared Modules When:

You have common components, directives, or pipes used across multiple feature modules.
You want to avoid redundancy and promote consistency in your application.

7. Angular Builds: AOT vs JIT — What to Use for Production:

When it comes to building an Angular application, the choice between Ahead-of-Time (AOT) and Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation significantly impacts performance, loading times, and overall user experience. Let’s break down the key differences and guide you through optimizing your builds for production.

7.1 . Ahead-of-Time (AOT) Compilation

AOT compilation takes place during the build phase, translating your Angular application’s TypeScript code into optimized JavaScript before deployment. This pre-compilation leads to several benefits.

Faster Rendering: AOT compiles templates at build time, reducing the need for runtime compilation in the browser.
Smaller Bundle Sizes: AOT eliminates unnecessary Angular compiler code, resulting in smaller bundle sizes.
Early Detection of Errors: Potential errors are caught during the build process, providing a smoother development experience

Building with AOT Compilation

To build your Angular application with AOT compilation, you can use the following command

ng build --aot

7.2 . Just-in-Time (JIT) Compilation

JIT compilation occurs in the client’s browser at runtime. The raw TypeScript code is sent to the client, where it is compiled just before execution. While JIT has the advantage of faster development builds and easy debugging, it comes with certain trade-offs

Slower Initial Load Times: The client needs to compile the application before rendering, leading to slower initial load times.
Larger Bundle Sizes: JIT includes the Angular compiler in the bundle, increasing its size.

Building with JIT Compilation

To build your Angular application with JIT compilation (the default behavior), you can use the standard ng build command

ng build

When to Use Each:

Use AOT for Production: AOT is recommended for production builds due to its performance benefits and smaller bundle sizes. It results in a faster user experience, especially crucial for production environments with a broad user base.
Use JIT for Development: While developing, JIT is more suitable as it allows for quicker build times and facilitates easier debugging. It provides a more agile development experience, making it a preferred choice during the development phase.

Optimizing Builds for Production:

To optimize your production builds further, consider additional flags such as --prod

ng build --prod --aot

The --prod flag enables production-specific optimizations, including minification and dead code elimination.

By understanding the nuances of AOT and JIT compilation and making informed choices based on your development and production needs, you can ensure a well-optimized Angular application that delivers a seamless user experience.

Until Next Time!

As we wrap up this journey through Angular Essentials, I hope you’ve gained valuable insights into the foundational aspects of Angular development. Whether you’re a newcomer or refining your skills, understanding semantic versioning, the Angular CLI, module architectures, and build processes sets a strong foundation.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll delve even deeper into the intricacies of Angular, exploring advanced topics and unleashing the full potential of this powerful framework. Until then, happy coding, and I look forward to seeing you guys again in the next installment!

Keep exploring, keep building, and let’s continue this Angular adventure together. See you soon! 👋✨