How Angular 2 Improves upon AngularJS: Enhanced Speed, Routing, and TypeScript Integration

Angular 2, the latest version in the Angular framework, introduces a myriad of enhancements over its predecessor, AngularJS. From improved rendering speed and change detection to leveraging TypeScript, Angular 2 offers developers a more robust and efficient solution for building responsive web and mobile applications. This article explores the key improvements and highlights how Angular 2 stands apart in terms of performance, routing, and development productivity.

Enhanced Performance and Rendering Speed

One of the most pronounced improvements in Angular 2 is the dramatic increase in performance and rendering speed. Comparatively, Angular 2 is not only faster but also significantly more efficient. According to benchmarks, Angular 2 performs up to 5x faster than AngularJS. This is primarily due to the way it interacts with the DOM. Angular 2 maintains its own rendering layer, decoupling itself from the underlying DOM. This abstraction makes view manipulations both easier and faster, leading to smoother user experiences.

Faster rendering is achieved not just through this native rendering layer but also through asynchronous loading of modules. In Angular 2, applications are loaded in a modular fashion, loading only the necessary components while the rest remain in a lazy loading state. This approach minimizes the initial load time and ensures that the application can focus on only the required content, thereby enhancing overall performance.

Advanced Routing and Navigation

Angular 2 introduces a more sophisticated routing mechanism that is both powerful and easy to configure. Unlike AngularJS, which uses two-way data binding extensively, Angular 2 minimizes the reliance on two-way binding, which is identified as a significant performance bottleneck in AngularJS 1. By default, two-way binding is not enabled in Angular 2, streamlining the application's performance and making it more efficient.

Key Features of Angular 2 Routing:

Component-Based Routing: Angular 2 simplifies routing by integrating it more tightly with components. This makes the framework easier to navigate and ensures that routes are defined within the context of the application's components. Observables and Reactivex JS: Angular 2 leverages the ReactiveX JS library as a foundation, using observables for event-driven programming. This reactive approach is more predictable compared to two-way data binding and offers better performance. Dynamic Route Patterns: The framework supports simple JSON-based route configurations and flexible route patterns, including parameterized routes and splat routes. This flexibility allows developers to create highly customizable and responsive routing scenarios. URL Resolver and Query String Support: Angular 2 offers robust URL resolution and query string handling, enabling developers to manage complex URL structures and query parameters with ease.

Developer-Friendly Tools and TypeScript Integration

Another significant improvement in Angular 2 is the introduction of TypeScript, a statically typed superset of JavaScript. TypeScript offers several advantages, including improved type errors, enhanced refactoring tools, and easier maintenance of large codebases. For developers used to JavaScript, TypeScript can be a learning curve, but the benefits it brings in terms of code quality and maintainability are undeniable.

The Angular CLI (Command Line Interface) is another major point of improvement. It streamlines the process of setting up and managing Angular projects, making it much easier for new developers to get started. Additionally, the CLI integrates seamlessly with other developer tools like Webpack, enhancing the developer experience and enabling the creation of optimized build processes.

Key Features of Angular 2 Development Environment:

Angular CLI: A powerful tool that helps beginners and experienced developers alike to bootstrap projects quickly and efficiently. It handles tasks like setting up project structure, managing dependencies, and running development and production builds. TypeScript: Offers optional typing and static analysis, enhancing code reliability and maintainability. TypeScript is also fully compatible with ECMAScript 6, providing developers with access to the latest JavaScript features. NativeScript 2: Allows developers to build hybrid mobile apps with Angular 2, providing native performances for both Android and iOS platforms. This tool leverages Angular 2's benefits to deliver high-performance mobile applications.

Conclusion

Angular 2 has come a long way since AngularJS, offering a host of improvements and features that enhance performance, developer productivity, and application manageability. By leveraging TypeScript, advanced routing mechanisms, and a more sophisticated development workflow, Angular 2 provides a compelling solution for modern web and mobile development. Whether you are an experienced AngularJS developer or new to the framework, Angular 2 is definitely worth exploring. To dive deeper into Angular 2, watching ng-conf 2016 talks and tutorials is a great way to start.