Versions of Angular: A Complete Guide to Angular Evolution

AngularJS (Version 1.x)

Released in 2010, AngularJS (also referred to as Angular 1) was the first version of the Angular framework. It introduced a revolutionary way of building dynamic, single-page web applications (SPA) using HTML as the base template language. Some of the key features of AngularJS include:

• Two-Way Data Binding: Synchronizes data between the model and view, simplifying UI updates.
• Directives: Custom HTML attributes that extend HTML capabilities, making it easier to create reusable components.
• Dependency Injection: A design pattern that improves the modularity and testability of applications.

Despite its innovative features, AngularJS had limitations in terms of performance and scalability, which led to the complete rewrite of the framework.

Angular 2

In 2016, Angular 2 was released as a total redesign and rewrite of AngularJS. It dropped the “JS” suffix, marking a new beginning. This version introduced many significant improvements, including:

• Component-Based Architecture: Angular 2 shifted from the controller-based approach to a component-driven architecture, which made the code more modular and maintainable.
• TypeScript: Angular 2 embraced TypeScript, a statically typed superset of JavaScript, making development safer and more predictable.
• Faster Rendering: A new rendering engine drastically improved the performance of applications.

Angular 4

Angular 4 was released in 2017, skipping version 3 to maintain consistency between the core packages. Angular 4 introduced several improvements, including:

• Smaller Bundles: Significant reduction in the size of generated bundles, improving application load times.
• Improved Animation Package: Animations were extracted into a separate package, allowing for better modularity and control.
• Template Binding Syntax: Simplified template binding made writing HTML templates more intuitive.

Angular 5

Released in late 2017, Angular 5 continued the trend of performance improvements and added new features, such as:

• Build Optimizer: An integrated tool to reduce bundle sizes by removing unnecessary code during the build process.
• HttpClient Module: Replacing the original HTTP module, HttpClient was introduced with a more robust API for handling HTTP requests and responses.
• Progressive Web Apps (PWA) Support: Angular 5 made it easier to create PWA apps with built-in support for service workers.

Angular 6

Angular 6, released in 2018, was all about making Angular easier to work with. Major improvements include:

• Angular Elements: Angular components could now be used as custom elements in non-Angular applications.
• CLI Workspaces: New workspace configuration allowed multiple Angular projects to share the same workspace.
• Tree Shaking: Further improvements in tree shaking led to even smaller production bundles.

Angular 7

Angular 7, launched in 2018, emphasized performance and usability enhancements:

• Virtual Scrolling: This new feature made list rendering more efficient by only rendering the visible parts of a large list.
• CLI Prompts: The Angular CLI started prompting users with options when creating a new project, making configuration more interactive.
• Content Projection with ng-templates: Better handling of complex use cases for reusable components.

Angular 8

Released in 2019, Angular 8 introduced key features that focused on improving the development experience:

• Ivy Renderer (Preview): Angular 8 shipped with a preview of Ivy, a new, faster rendering engine that promised improved build times and reduced bundle sizes.
• Lazy Loading with Dynamic Imports: Enhanced support for lazy loading modules, allowing for more optimized code splitting.
• Builder API: New APIs for extending the Angular CLI with custom build steps.

Angular 9

Angular 9, released in early 2020, brought Ivy as the default rendering engine. This was a significant milestone for Angular:

• Ivy Compiler: Faster compilation and smaller application size due to the efficient tree-shaking mechanisms in Ivy.
• Improved Testing: Enhanced test harnesses and tools for better debugging and testing experiences.
• Faster Builds: Significant improvements in build and rebuild times.

Angular 10

Angular 10, released in mid-2020, was a relatively smaller release, focusing on improving stability and performance:

• Optional Stricter Settings: New strict mode that generates smaller and more optimized bundles with stricter TypeScript settings.
• New Date Range Picker: A new date range picker was added to the Angular Material UI component library.
• Deprecation of Old Features: Older, less-used features and APIs were deprecated to simplify the framework.

Angular 11 and Beyond

Angular 11, released in late 2020, focused on debugging and improving developer tools. Subsequent versions, Angular 12, 13, and beyond, continued building on the Ivy foundation, further optimizing performance and adding new tools like stricter type checking, streamlined error handling, and enhanced performance with native web standards.

Conclusion

The evolution of Angular has been marked by a continuous focus on performance, scalability, and developer experience. From the early days of AngularJS to the modern, Ivy-powered Angular, each version has introduced new features, optimizations, and best practices that help developers build high-quality web applications. Staying updated with the latest version ensures you get the best performance and features for your projects.