What’s the difference between AngularJS and Angular?

AngularJS and Angular are both integral components for modern front-end developers. However, as we dive deeper into their development aspects, it becomes important to understand how AngularJS differs from Angular.

Angular has long been a go-to framework, especially for developers building dynamic, scalable web applications. But to work with Angular, developers need to choose one of its versions—AngularJS being the earliest and still a significant one. While other versions exist (like Angular 2 and beyond), AngularJS holds a special place in development history.

Created in 2009, AngularJS allowed two-way data binding and offered real-time synchronization between the model and view layers. It introduced directives, which enabled developers to build reusable and modular code—a concept that was revolutionary at the time.

AngularJS supports development in MVVM or MVC architecture, offering a robust structure and enhancing testability through dependency injection.

AngularJS and Angular: Understanding the Evolution

Since its launch, Angular has evolved rapidly, gaining widespread support in the developer community. Developers have created a host of powerful packages using Angular in shorter development cycles. As its ecosystem matured, Google restructured the framework, introducing Angular 2, eventually dropping the version number and simply calling it Angular.

Angular has since moved into multiple versions, with Angular 4 and above offering backward compatibility with Angular 2. The framework is open-source, backed by Google, and shares the spotlight with ReactJS as one of the most used tools for building user interfaces.

As Angular evolved, its core features were modularized, leading to improvements in performance, flexibility, and developer productivity.

Want to start learning AngularJS? Check out our blog on What Are the Angular JS Online Course for Beginner?

Looking to build a scalable Angular application? Visit Siddhi Infosoft – a trusted name in web and mobile app development.

AngularJS Development: Features and Strengths

AngularJS is a JavaScript-based open-source framework designed to build Single Page Applications (SPAs). It revolutionizes the process of turning static HTML into dynamic, interactive content.

Key features include:

• Two-way data binding

• Dependency injection

• Directives for modularity

• Improved testability

The most stable version available is 1.7.7. Despite Angular’s newer features, AngularJS still finds strong use in SPAs and smaller-scale applications.

Key Differences Between AngularJS and Angular

Let’s break down the fundamental differences that set AngularJS and Angular apart:

1. TypeScript vs JavaScript

• AngularJS is based on JavaScript.

• Angular is written in TypeScript, a superset of ES6 with backward compatibility for ES5. It introduces powerful features like lambda expressions, interfaces, and iterators.

Angular follows a component-based architecture similar to ReactJS, replacing AngularJS’s reliance on controllers and scopes with a more structured, modular system.

Learn more about TypeScript on MDN

2. Template Syntax and Binding

• AngularJS uses multiple directives and concepts like ng-model, ng-bind, and ng-controller.

• Angular introduces improved syntax:

  • [] for property binding

  • () for event binding

  • [()] for two-way binding

This enhances clarity and reduces complexity in large-scale applications.

3. Architecture

• AngularJS relies on the MVC or MVVM pattern where the controller mediates between model and view.

• Angular uses a component-based structure, encapsulating logic and UI in reusable modules.

This architecture boosts scalability and code reusability.

4. Mobile Support

• Angular supports modern mobile browsers natively and offers tools to build progressive web apps (PWAs).

• AngularJS, unfortunately, lacks robust mobile support, limiting its use in today’s mobile-first world.

5. Dependency Injection (DI)

• Angular supports a hierarchical dependency injection system, improving modularity and making components more testable.

• AngularJS does not offer a hierarchical DI system, making complex app testing more challenging.

6. Application Structure and Management

• Angular brings a more organized structure, ideal for large-scale applications.

• AngularJS remains a preferred option for smaller apps due to its simpler syntax and faster setup.

What’s Changed in Angular?

With Angular, developers get a sleeker, more efficient framework packed with advanced features:

• Modularity allows for leaner code and faster compilation.

• Asynchronous template rendering boosts performance.

• Angular CLI (Command Line Interface) provides scaffolding tools that streamline project setup and structure.

• Reactive programming support through RxJS allows developers to build highly dynamic and event-driven interfaces.

Learn more about Angular CLI

Which One Should You Choose?

In today’s fast-paced environment, Angular is generally the better choice—especially for complex, enterprise-level applications. It’s more future-ready, scalable, and mobile-friendly.

However, the final choice depends on a few critical considerations:

• ✅ What browsers do you need to support?

• ✅ Are your preferred libraries compatible with Angular?

• ✅ What is the size and scope of your application?

Angular may be a better fit for robust apps with long-term support needs, while AngularJS remains viable for lightweight SPAs.