Difference Between Angular and AngularJS

Last Updated : 10 Sep, 2024

Angular and AngularJS are two popular frameworks used for building dynamic web applications. While both are developed by Google, they are fundamentally different in terms of architecture, features, and performance.

AngularJS, released in 2010, is the older, JavaScript-based version, while Angular, introduced in 2016, is a complete rewrite using TypeScript. In this article, we will learn the differences between AngularJS and Angular.

AngularJS

AngularJS is an open-source front-end framework based on JavaScript that is mainly used to develop single-page web applications(SPAs). It is a continuously growing and expanding framework which provides better ways for developing web applications. It changes the static HTML to dynamic HTML. Its features like dynamic binding and dependency injection eliminate the need for code that we have to write otherwise.

AngularJS is rapidly growing and because of this reason, we have different versions of AngularJS with the final version being 1.8.3. It is also important to note that Angular is different from AngularJS. It is an open-source project which can be freely used and changed by anyone. It extends HTML attributes with Directives, and data is bound with HTML.

Features of AngularJS

MVC Architecture: Separates the application into three interconnected components, making the code more organized and manageable.
Two-Way Data Binding: Automatically synchronizes data between the model and the view, reducing the amount of boilerplate code.
Directives: Custom HTML tags that enhance the functionality of elements and help create reusable components.
Dependency Injection: Manages dependencies of various components, improving code modularity and testing.
Routing: Built-in support for routing allows developers to create single-page applications with multiple views.

Example: This example describes the String interpolation in AngularJS.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <script src=
"https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.6.9/angular.min.js">
    </script>
</head>
<body>
    <h1 style="color:green">
        GeeksforGeeks
    </h1>
    <h3>
        AngularJS String Interpolation
    </h3>
    <div ng-app="" 
         ng-init="Course='AngularJS';
                  Subject='Tutorial'; 
                  Company='GeeksforGeeks';">
        <p>
            Learn {{ Course + " " + Subject }} from 
                <a href=
"https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/angularjs/">{{Company}}
                </a>
        </p>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Output

AngularJS Example

Angular

Angular is a popular open-source Typescript framework created by Google for developing web applications. Front-end developers use frameworks like Angular or React for presenting and manipulating data efficiently. Updated Angular is much more efficient compared to the older version of Angular, especially, since the core functionality was moved to different modules.

That’s why it becomes so much fast and smooth compare to the older one. Newly added Angular CLI, & with the help of this command-line interface, we can install the required packages that facilitate creation & make the complex-structured code into a modular form that can be easy to manage.

Key Features of Angular

Component-Based Architecture: Promotes reusability and modularity, making applications easier to maintain and scale.
TypeScript: Enhances JavaScript with static typing, classes, and interfaces, resulting in cleaner and more maintainable code.
One-Way Data Binding: Improves performance by updating the view only when the model changes, reducing unnecessary updates.
Dependency Injection: Provides a hierarchical DI system that allows for better organization and control of services across components.
Angular CLI: A powerful command-line interface that automates development tasks like scaffolding, testing, and deployment.
Routing and Lazy Loading: Supports advanced routing and lazy loading, which improves application performance and user experience.

Example: This example describes the String interpolation in Angular.

<!--app.component.html-->

<h1
    [style.color]="'green'"
    [style.font-family]="'Arial'"
    [style.text-align]="'center'"
>
    {{ title }} : {{ about }}
</h1>
<p [style.font-weight]="'bolder'">
    This example illustrates {{ data }} in Angular.
</p>

//app.component.ts

import { Component } from "@angular/core";
@Component({
    selector: "my-app",
    templateUrl: "./app.component.html",
    styleUrls: ["./app.component.css"],
})
export class AppComponent {
    title = "GeeksforGeeks";
    about = "Learning Portal for Geeks";
    data = "String Interpolation";
}

Output:

Angular Basic Example

Difference Between AngularJS & Angular

Category	Angular JS	Angular
Architecture	It supports the Model-View-Controller design. The view processes the information available in the model to generate the output.	It uses components and directives. Components are the directives with a template.
Written Language	Written in JavaScript.	Written in Microsoft’s TypeScript language, which is a superset of ECMAScript 6 (ES6).
Mobile support	It does not support mobile browsers.	Angular is supported by all the popular mobile browsers.
Expression Syntax	ng-bind is used to bind data from view to model and vice versa.	Properties enclosed in “()” and “[]” are used to bind data between view and model.
Dependency Injection	It does not use Dependency Injection.	Angular Support Hierarchical and robust Dependency Injection
Supported Languages	It only supports JavaScript.	It provides support for TypeScript and JavaScript.
Routing	AngularJS uses $routeprovider.when() for routing configuration.	Angular uses @Route Config{(…)} for routing configuration.
Structure	It is less manageable in comparison to Angular.	It has a better structure compared to AngularJS, easier to create and maintain for large applications but behind AngularJS in the case of small applications.
CLI	It does not come with a CLI tool.	It comes with the Angular CLI tool.
Examples Application	iStock, Netflix, and Angular JS official website.	Upwork, Gmail, and Wikiwand.

Conclusion

In summary, while AngularJS and Angular serve similar purposes in web development, they cater to different needs and project scales. AngularJS is suitable for smaller, simpler projects or maintaining legacy applications, while Angular is designed for modern, large-scale applications that require enhanced performance, scalability, and maintainability. The choice between Angular and AngularJS depends on your project requirements, but Angular is generally the better option for new developments due to its advanced features, robust ecosystem, and continuous support.