Key Summary
An Angular developer demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of software engineering concepts. Angular developers are proficient in adjacent technologies, such as JavaScript. They provide invaluable skills in building user-friendly client-side software through a mastery of the Angular framework.
Getting into software development, as everyone knows, can be intimidating. What makes it even more confusing for newcomers is the abundance of programming languages and platforms to grasp. Even experienced developers often find themselves scouring Stack Overflow for hours on end to overcome roadblocks.
But worry not — or less — because we’re here to simplify the learning process. In this blog, we’ll talk about Angular and look into the day-to-day of an Angular developer.
Introduction to Angular
Angular is an open-source, client-side framework that primarily focuses on building Single Page Applications (SPAs) using HTML and TypeScript (the superset of JavaScript). We’ll get to the jargon in a second, but it’s important to have a firm understanding of its use case.
Angular is mainly used for building the front-end of web, mobile, and desktop applications, with a focus on scalability. This means developers can scale from single-builder projects to enterprise-level applications via the platform with added accessibility.
According to the Angular website, the main advantages of Angular are that it is:
- A component-based framework for building scalable web applications
- A collection of well-integrated libraries that cover a wide variety of features, including routing, forms management, client-server communication, and more
- A suite of developer tools to help you develop, build, test, and update your code
Think of it this way: Angular developers simplify and optimize the structure of code derived from JavaScript. How? Because Angular provides features like templating, two-way binding, modularization, AJAX handling, RESTful API handling, dependency injections, and more.
These subsets of functionalities allow an Angular developer to craft interactive and dynamic client-facing experiences more effectively. It’s like using a template instead of writing an email from scratch — but know that we’re oversimplifying here to give a good analogy.
What are Single Page Applications?
An SPA loads only one web document when various content is to be displayed, and then modifies the body content of that single document using JavaScript APIs.
Back to our email example, notice that not much changes when browsing your email dashboard. Only the center part of the page loads new information as you interact with it.
Another good example is video streaming services, like Netflix and Youtube. Software developers build SPA products because they provide seamless elements interaction. Hence, improved User Experience (UX).
What is Angular Development?
Angular development refers to the use of the Angular set of technologies to build interactive and dynamic software. Highly experienced web developers utilize Angular in creating components, services, modules, and directives.
One of the powerful features of Angular is its Command Line Interface (CLI), which can be used to generate basic project structures. This allows developers to follow Angular best practices without comprising automation, like building, testing, and deployment.
We can trace the roots of Angular (technically called Angular 2) to AngularJS, which was developed by Google and is still widely used for developing complex web apps.
The History of Angular
To properly distinguish between the two, let’s quickly explore the history of Angular and AngularJS.
AngularJS proved to be effective in simplifying usability since it involves an HTML document and doesn’t require a reload for every interaction.
Soon, the top companies integrated AngularJS into their workflow.
Fast forward to 2014, AngularJS started to have its limitations show as the web development landscape evolved. The team at Google and community members, then, went back to the drawing board to augment the framework. But they didn’t want to just improve upon it — they wanted to rebuild it from the ground up.
Then, in May 2016, Angular 2 was officially released.
And while long-term support for AngularJS has been discontinued officially, many organizations still haven’t migrated to the new version.
And the naming convention starts to get confusing.
But all you need to remember is this: AngularJS = Angular 1 while Angular = Angular 2.
AngularJS vs. Angular
Essentially, AngularJS is the parent of Angular. This framework is built on JavaScript and became widely popular for its ease of use. Many legacy applications still use AngularJS, primarily focusing on its two-way data binding capability.
On the other hand, Angular is built on TypeScript, which is a superset of JavaScript. This language adds optional static typing and uses a one-way data flow approach. What makes Angular appealing to most developers are its modularity, scalability, improved performance, and ability to handle large-scale enterprise applications.
Key differences between Angular and AngularJS:
- Language: AngularJS is based on JavaScript, while Angular is based on TypeScript.
- Performance: Angular is known for its improved performance, thanks to its change detection mechanism and Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation.
- Architecture: Angular uses a component-based architecture, while AngularJS uses a directive-based architecture.
- Dependency Injection: Angular comes with a built-in dependency injection system, which makes it easier to manage dependencies in large applications.
- Mobile Development: Angular has better support for mobile development, thanks to its ability to create Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and NativeScript applications.
- Community: Angular has a much larger and more active community than AngularJS, which means more resources and support are available for developers.
Related Read: AngularJS Developers: What They Do and How You Can Hire One
What is TypeScript?
TypeScript is another open-source programming language. This time, it was developed and is still maintained by Microsoft. TypeScript builds upon JavaScript with the added optional static typing and class-based, object-oriented programming features.
The main benefits of using TypeScript are:
- Improved tooling and integration
- Strong typing and type inference
- Improved code readability
- Includes interfaces and classes to define implemented contracts
When and Why Should You Use Angular?
Angular’s feature set comes in handy when building web products. The structure that this framework provides not only simplifies the entire process but enables developers to learn it effectively.
Of course, excellent developers still employ in-depth knowledge to create meaningful products. But the accessibility of Angular makes it easy to learn for most beginners.
Most of the top companies and experienced developers implement Angular into methodologies for large-scale architecture. The support and structured releases from the Angular team also make the framework an enticing way to build a responsive and dynamic front-end.
If you’re looking for a framework that provides great performance, familiarity, and maintainability, consider using Angular for your next project.
What Does an Angular Developer Do?
You might be looking to hire Angular developers instead. Or you’re aspiring to be one.
But where should you start?
To help get your foot out the door, let’s define what an Angular developer does.
An Angular developer specializes in the Angular framework to build exceptional web experiences. They wield a good command of the TypeScript language and have a strong foundation in creating digital experiences with Angular and adjacent technologies.
As Angular developers are mainly tasked with building client-side software, they’re also often well-versed in UX concepts.
Related Read: Web Developer and Software Developer: What’s the Difference?
What Technical Skills Does an Angular Developer Need?
Specifically, Angular developers must have a working knowledge of HTML, CSS, TypeScript, JavaScript, and Angular libraries and modules. If you’re in the market for Angular developer jobs, or searching for qualified candidates, take note of the following skills:
- An in-depth grasp of Core JavaScript
- Familiarity with the Angular framework
- Good command of TypeScript
- Experience with RESTful API integration
- A clear understanding of web markup and UX concepts
- Knowledge of similar or related technologies (such as Node and Webpack)
What Do Angular Developer Responsibilities Look Like?
While responsibilities vary depending on each company’s development targets, the key responsibilities of an Angular developer involve:
- Leveraging Angular, TypeScript, and other web technologies to create web applications.
- Writing code that is readable, tested, and maintainable.
- Working with cross-functional teams, including product managers, designers, and other developers.
- Building reusable components and libraries for future usage.
- Analyzing and fixing problems as they occur.
- Staying up-to-date with the most recent developments and best practices in web development.
- Taking part in code reviews and offering helpful criticism to other team members.
- Creating automated tests to guarantee the codebase’s quality.
- Maximizing the performance and scalability of online applications.
- Writing technical documentation and code documentation as needed.
The Future of Angular Development
Since the Angular team consistently provides updates to the community about recent developments with the framework, the future is looking bright in this space. Earlier in May 2023, the team posted a blog documenting the changes to Angular with the latest v16 release.
We recommend reading it entirely to get a clear view of the newest improvements to the framework. However, we’ve listed some of the highlights here as well:
- Backward compatibility with the current system – Angular v16 brings significant performance improvements and a better developer experience.
- Enhanced server-side rendering and hydration – According to the blog, the team saw up to 45% improvement in the Largest Contentful Paint (represents the load speed of a web page’s main content).
- Improved tooling for standalone components, directives, and pipes – The Angular team developed migration schematics to help developers transition their apps to standalone APIs.
- Advanced developer tooling and unit testing – Though still in experimental stages, Angular now supports Jest (a testing framework and test runner) to allow for less complex unit testing.
This leads to the question:
Will Angular developers become more in demand in the coming years?
While we can’t be certain, the data from Stack Overflow suggests that Angular remains to grow in popularity as a front-end web technology. With the new changes to the framework, the probability of development teams exploring Angular is highly likely.
Which is why it might be the best time to look for an Angular developer to join your team.
How are CoDev Angular developers different?
CoDev aspires to revolutionize development offshoring. A team of highly motivated talents paired with a forward-thinking management body, we collectively nurture a deep relationship with our partners to help overcome roadblocks.
CoDev’s Angular developers showcase impressive industry experience — they boast a vetted portfolio of organizational contributions throughout their careers.
What sets our Angular developers apart is their ability to share in our partners’ long-term goals. We, as a whole, are committed to supporting businesses in building exceptional products. As such, CoDev Angular developers operate with our core values in mind, which translate into streamlined and frictionless collaboration.
Related Read: 3 keys to successfully hiring AngularJS developers
To Wrap Up
An Angular developer is proficient in the use of Angular to build a responsive, dynamic, and interactive front-end. They are skilled in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and TypeScript; they are visionaries who can develop a functional and high-performing site by maximizing Angular feature sets.
An Angular developer will take your product from flat and visually unappealing to the next level. If you’re in the market to hire Angular developers for your next project, book a discovery session with our sales team today!
