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Table of Contents
At the first glance, you might not even notice a difference between these two front-end-based development languages. Look closer, and you’ll see a JS popping out in one of them.
It’s like the cherry on top of a cake. Does it really matter?
Your next-door neighbor might say it won’t really matter as they sound the same, just a mere JS in the other being the difference.
Ask a software professional and they’ll tell you that saying Angular and Angular JS are the same is like saying there’s no difference between a horse and a pony. There are a whole ton of differences between the two of these open-source languages.
Although both are developed and backed by Google, they differ in multiple ways and are used for different purposes. Say, for instance, Angular is supported by most mobile browsers but AngularJS is not supported by any mobile browser.
Their inherent architecture and dependency injection models are very different, and that affects the performance, speed of development, and scalability ease of your web applications.
Being a business owner in 2023, you need to take the right decision and we’ll help you understand the intricate differences between these two app development platforms and help you choose the right one.
Let’s get started!
Angular is a component-based framework built on TypeScrpit that’s used for making enterprise-level web and mobile applications. It was released by Google in 2016 as a combat variant of AngularJS.
It comes with the whole package. Every library that you’ll ever need to develop a fully-functional front-end application is integrated into its framework. It has all the necessary tools for testing and routing.
HTML templates and styles are used to build the functionality. It is used to build single-page applications, eCommerce websites, progressive web apps, and high-end functionality applications. The Angular code that’s written in TypeScrpit is converted into JavaScript during the build process, as most modern browsers only process JS code.
Several versions of Angular have been released to date and with each new update, a lot of functionality is being integrated to make the developer’s life easier as well as enhance the performance of large-scale web and mobile applications.
You’ll love Angular when you know what it’ll do for you. The latest Angular version released in June 2022, Angular 14, was packed with splendid features such as typed forms, standalone components, etc.
Using the Angular framework for your web and mobile app development has pros and cons, and let’s see what they are.
| Pros | Cons |
| Although primarily used for developing dynamic web applications, it’s also used for creating mobile apps. | Not suitable for creating small applications.key |
| TypeScript used for the development of Angular applications allows for optimized code modularity. | May experience browser compatibility issues for some Angular versions |
| The Angular framework facilitates hierarchical dependency injection which helps developers to isolate , theons with inherent dependencies. | TypeScript is not a popular coding language and takes time to master it. |
| Version management is easily commenced owing to the semantic versioning in Angular. | |
| Two-way data binding in Angular helps to scale applications easily | |
| With standard testing libraries, full-proof testing can be carried out. |
Launched by Google in 2010, AngularJS is the primitive version of Angular at the time of release. AngularJS is an open-source JavaScript framework used for building powerful web applications. It adopts a model-view-controller architecture, enabling developers to represent codes neatly and understandably.
The original intention behind releasing AngularJS was to create standout SPAs or single-page applications. Today, AngularJS is being used to create all kinds of front-end applications. Although Google has stopped supporting the AngularJS framework as of 31st December 2021, the app development platform is still being used to develop powerful single-page applications.
The AngularJS framework is preferred for speedy development owing to its data binding and dependency injection features. It’s an extension of HTML in terms of syntax configuration. Beautiful user interfaces can be created using structural directives and declarative template language.
Over the years, there have been several versions and updates of AngularJS, with several new features being integrated into the framework.
Developing single-page applications is the most prominent feature of AngularJS. The MVC architecture of the web development framework has immense features which set it apart from Angular.
| Pros | Cons |
| The AngularJS framework helps in building user interfaces that instantly attract the attention of the audience. | In the Angular vs AngularJS battle of extensive features, AngularJS falls back as it only uses JavaScript. |
| It’s great for building SPAs or single-page applications as it provides instant reloads and fast website transitions. | Doesn’t support Mobile OS, unlike Angular. |
| Due to its MVC architecture where the functional and logical components are separated, it allows you to see the code changes reflect instantly. | It’s reported to have UI issues under high traffic penetration |
| JavaScript is a popular language used for building interactive web pages and is easy to learn. | |
| It supports great testing tools and technologies to conduct a full-proof test. Both unit and end-to-end testing can be easily facilitated. | |
| AngularJS allows for great customization as it’s open-source. Developers can personalize your web applications to the extent you want. |
Both Angular and AngularJS are great for creating large-scale enterprise-level applications and eCommerce solutions. Let’s chart it down in a table format to detect the better front-end programming language in the Angular vs AngularJS battle.
| Key Feature | Angular | AngularJS |
| Coding Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Developed By | Google + Angular Community | Google + AngularJS community |
| Architecture | Component-based architecture that uses directives | MVC or model-view-controller |
| Dependency Injection | Facilitates hierarchical dependency injection enabling isolation of separate components | Does not use dependency injection. Instead, directives are used. |
| Mobile OS compatibility | It’s a mobile support framework used for creating both mobile and web applications | Doesn’t support any mobile OS |
| Command Line Interface | The CLI in Angular helps to implement functions and modules with a single line code | It doesn’t have CLI |
| Data Binding | Facilitates two-way data binding for enabling real-time code updates. | Two-way data binding is achieved using the ng-model. |
| Performance | Angular developers use property binding to enable the seamless performance of apps. | Single page web applications developed using AngularJS perform well if the code structure is optimized. |
| Testing | It has a whole package of testing bundles that can be used for end-to-end and unit testing | Need to outsource third-party libraries for authentic testing purposes. |
| SEO | Optimized for SEO and ranks if properly strategized | Not ideal for crawlers to rank the applications for SEO |
| Examples | Gmail, Upwork | Netflix, Lego |
These inherent differences between Angular and AngularJS are what you need to consider while building your application. In the battle of Angular vs AngularJS, it’s vital to understand that there are pointers wherein the differences are crucial.
The major difference between Angular and AngularJS is the coding language used for both the frameworks and the architectural flexibility that they provide. The hierarchical dependency injection system is a key feature in Angular but is lacking in AngularJS.
However, both Angular and AngularJS have their own strengths and weaknesses. It matters also in the expertise of the developers you choose and the tools and techniques that they employ while creating Angular applications.
Ever since the launch of AngularJS, Google has been sequentially releasing new versions of the app development platform. However, Angular which uses the TypeScript programming language is the version that keeps receiving consistent updates. AngularJS stopped receiving support from Google back in December 2021.
Let’s take a look at when the consequent Angular and AngularJS versions were released and what differences they came with.
Angular 1
Known popularly as AngularJS, Angular 1 was the first release of this web app development framework in 2010.
Angular 2
Released in 2016, Angular 2 was the beginning of a new phase of Angular application development built on TypeScript.
Angular 3
There was no formal Angular 3 release as there were some massive router developments going on at the time.
Angular 4
It was a phenomenal update to the previous versions and rendered faster processing speeds and performance rates.
Angular 5
The build optimizer was introduced with this version and enhanced the core functionality of Angular applications.
Angular 6
The Angular team introduced Angular Ivy, a new rendering engine that compiles components into HTML and TypeScript.
Angular 7
Released in 2018, Angular 7 saw major improvements as the model view controller architecture was simplified and Angular CLI was added.
Angular 8
Event binding was launched in this version which helped in handling user-driven events such as clicks and mouse movements.
Angular 9
The big bomb came in 2020 when every Angular project could be compiled only with Angular Ivy. AOT compilation was made more effective.
Angular 10
Nothing major was introduced. The overall Angular framework was fine-tuned with a better structure and standard directives.
Angular 11
Automated Inline fonts and Operation Blog were the major highlights of Angular 11 and they seamlessly enhanced the functionality.
Angular 12
The Angular framework saw inherent development that ensured backward-compatible versions.
Angular 13
Ivy engine features got an extension of new functionalities that gave developers a ton of options to customize their applications.
Angular 14
Released in 2022, Angular 14 is the latest version of Angular and is embedded with great features such as streamlined page title accessibility and typed Angular forms.
Now that we’ve seen the features of both Angular and AngularJS, it’s time to choose the winner out of the two. That’s why you’re here right?
The Angular vs AngularJS battle results are to be pronounced. As Angular is actively supported by Google and is consecutively growing to be an all-in-all platform for web and mobile app development, it’s fair to say that Angular is better than AngularJS.
Many features are only inherent to Angular as they are built on TypeScript which involves functionality of both JavaScript as well as other predominant features. That being said, most developers prefer AngularJS as it’s strictly restricted to JavaScript.
The component-based architecture of Angular vs MVC in AngularJS plays a difference when there’s a lot of complex code as it’s easier to separate components using dependency injection in Angular. Also, AngularJS doesn’t have native testing libraries which makes it second in class to Angular. The two frameworks have the data binding feature and are great for building web applications but Angular can also be used to develop mobile applications.
So, now you can decide which platform is best for your application development. Moon Technolabs will build an exceptional web application for your business that reaps huge dividends.
Jayanti Katariya is the CEO of Moon Technolabs, a fast-growing IT solutions provider, with 18+ years of experience in the industry. Passionate about developing creative apps from a young age, he pursued an engineering degree to further this interest. Under his leadership, Moon Technolabs has helped numerous brands establish their online presence and he has also launched an invoicing software that assists businesses to streamline their financial operations.
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