Open In App

Differences between Angular 1.x and Angular2+

Last Updated : 01 Aug, 2023
Improve
Improve
Like Article
Like
Save
Share
Report

Angular is a well-known JavaScript framework that is used to create awesome responsive web applications like ReactJS. Angular 1.x, is the version that is considered s the initial version of the main framework, while Angular 2+ is considered the subsequent version which also includes Angular 2, Angular 4, Angular 5, and many more. There are some significant changes and enhancements in Angular 2+ as compared to Angular1.x. In this article, we will understand Angular 2+ and Angular 1.x along with their basic implementation & will see the difference between these versions.

Angular 1.x

The initial version and the original version of the Angular framework is Angular 1.x. There are, any concepts related to Angular 1.x that are used in building web applications.

  • Two-Way Data Binding: In the Angular 1.x version, the concept of Two-Way Data Binding is seen in which the changes done to the User Interface are automatically reflected in the attached data model and also vice versa.
  • Directives: Angular 1.x mostly relies on directives that are the extended HTML with some custom behavior embedded into it. Directives allow programmers and developers to design reusable UI-based components and also provision them to manipulate the DOM elements.
  • Scope: Angular 1.x uses the concept called scope, which acted as the bridge between the View and Controller layer. It initializes the communication between different components in the developing application.

Example: This example illustrates the basic implementation of the Angular 1.x version.

HTML




<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="myApp">
  
<head>
    <script src=
      </script>
</head>
  
<body>
    <div ng-controller="MyController">
        <h1>Hi, {{ name }}!</h1>
    </div>
  
    <script>
        angular.module('myApp', [])
            .controller('MyController', function ($scope) {
                $scope.name = 'GeeksforGeeks Team';
            });
    </script>
</body>
  
</html>


Explanation: In the above example, the Angular 1.x code relies on the directives and scope. The code written in JavaScript specifies the application module with its controller name as “MyController“. The controller sets the “name” property on the scope.

Output:

Hi, GeeksforGeeks Team

Angular 2+

Angular 2+ has brought many advancements in the initial version of Angular. Its key features make the development of web applications more efficient and easy. Below there are some of the advancements that are seen in Angular 2+.

  • Component-Based Structure: Angular 2+ version has brought a Component-Based Architecture or Structure where the web applications are developed using reusable components. This means that the components encapsulate the application’s login and User Interface, making the source code more modular.
  • Inbuilt TypeScript Support: Angular 2+ is developed in such as way that it has built-in support for TypeScript, which is one of the statically-types supersets of JavaScript language. TypeScript consists the awesome features like classes, interfaces, and static typing, which all contribute to the ease of refactoring the code and making more better code.
  • Enhancement in Performance: Angular 2+ has optimized the change detection algorithm which outcomes in the rapid rendering and enhancement in performance as compared to Angular 1.x.

Example: In this example, we will understand the basic implementation of Angular 2+ version.

  • app.component.ts

Javascript




import { Component } from "@angular/core";
  
@Component({
    selector: "my-app",
    template: ` <h1>Hi, {{ name }}!</h1> `,
})
export class AppComponent {
    name: string = "GeeksforGeeks Team";
}


  • app.module.ts

Javascript




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 { }


  • main.ts

Javascript




import { platformBrowserDynamic } 
    from "@angular/platform-browser-dynamic";
import { AppModule } from "./app.module";
  
platformBrowserDynamic().bootstrapModule(AppModule)
  .catch(err => console.error(err));


  • index.html

HTML




<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  
<head>
    <title>Angular App</title>
    <base href="/">
</head>
  
<body>
    <my-app></my-app>
</body>
  
</html>


  • tsconfig.json: (For TypeScript configuration)
{
    "compilerOptions": {
        "target": "es5",
        "module": "commonjs",
        "strict": true,
        "esModuleInterop": true,
        "skipLibCheck": true,
        "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true
    },
    "angularCompilerOptions": {
        "strictTemplates": true
    }
}
  • package.json: (For package dependencies)
{
"name": "angular-app",
"version": "1.0.0",
"scripts": {
"start": "webpack serve --open",
"build": "webpack --mode production"
},
"dependencies": {
"@angular/common": "^12.0.0",
"@angular/compiler": "^12.0.0",
"@angular/core": "^12.0.0",
"@angular/platform-browser": "^12.0.0",
"@angular/platform-browser-dynamic": "^12.0.0",
"core-js": "^3.15.2",
"rxjs": "^7.3.0",
"zone.js": "^0.11.4"
},
"devDependencies": {
"webpack": "^5.50.0",
"webpack-cli": "^4.8.0",
"webpack-dev-server": "^4.0.0",
"typescript": "^4.3.5",
"ts-loader": "^9.2.6"
}
}

Explanation: The above example states a component-based structure in the Angular 2+ version. The code is written in TypeScript, which specifies the use of a component named “AppComponent” which displays the value of the “name” property using (‘{{name}}’).

Output:

Hi, GeeksforGeeks Team

Differences between Angular 2+ and Angular 1.x

Parameter

Angular 2+

Angular 1.x

Language Used
 

TypeScript is used in Angular 2+.

JavaScript is used in Angular 1.x.

Architecture/Structure

Component-Based Architecture is been seen here.

Directives and Scope are used here.

Performance

Angular 2+ has a faster change detection and rendering feature.

Angular 1.x has a slower change detection and rendering feature.

Dependency Injection

Improved and More Powerful Dependency Injection.

Less Powerful and Verbose Dependency Injection.

Size

Consists of Smaller Bundle Sizes.

Consists of Larger Bundle Size.

Community Support

An active and growing community is been seen in Angular 2+.

Established but the less active community is been seen in Angular 1.x.

Long-Term Support (LTS)

Regular LTS releases are been provided in Angular 2+.

Extended LTS Support is been seen in Angular 1.x.

Component Declaration

@Component decorator is used

Directives are used here

Binding Syntax

Interpolation ({{ }})

Double Curly Braces ({{ }})

Rendering

Virtual DOM with Zone.js type Rendering

Real DOM type Rendering

Routing

@angular/router module

ngRoute module

Global Styles

styles.css (Global styles file)

Global Styles not available (Inline styles or external CSS)



Like Article
Suggest improvement
Share your thoughts in the comments

Similar Reads