Getting Started with Angular 20+

Angular 20+ brings exciting new features and improvements that make building modern web applications even more enjoyable. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the key features and how to leverage them in your projects.

What's New in Angular 20+

Signals Everywhere

Angular 20+ continues to expand on the signals API, providing a more reactive and efficient way to manage state in your applications. Signals offer several advantages:

Better Performance: Automatic change detection optimization
Simpler Mental Model: Reactive programming made accessible
Type Safety: Full TypeScript support with inference

import { signal, computed, effect } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-counter',
  template: `
    <div>
      <p>Count: {{ count() }}</p>
      <p>Doubled: {{ doubled() }}</p>
      <button (click)="increment()">Increment</button>
    </div>
  `,
})
export class CounterComponent {
  count = signal(0);
  doubled = computed(() => this.count() * 2);

  increment() {
    this.count.update((c) => c + 1);
  }
}

New Control Flow

The new @if, @for, and @switch control flow syntax makes templates more readable and performant:

<!-- Old syntax -->
<div *ngIf="user">
  <p>Welcome, {{ user.name }}!</p>
</div>

<!-- New syntax -->
@if (user) {
<p>Welcome, {{ user.name }}!</p>
}

<!-- Old syntax -->
<div *ngFor="let item of items; trackBy: trackByFn">{{ item.name }}</div>

<!-- New syntax -->
@for (item of items; track item.id) {
<div>{{ item.name }}</div>
}

Deferrable Views

Deferrable views allow you to optimize your application's initial load by deferring the loading of non-critical components:

@defer (on viewport) {
<app-heavy-component />
} @placeholder {
<div>Loading...</div>
} @error {
<div>Failed to load component</div>
}

Best Practices

1. Use Signals for State Management

Replace traditional state management with signals for better performance and developer experience:

// Instead of RxJS subjects
private _data = new BehaviorSubject<any[]>([]);
data$ = this._data.asObservable();

// Use signals
data = signal<any[]>([]);

2. Leverage New Control Flow

The new control flow syntax is not only more readable but also more performant. Use it for all conditional rendering and loops.

3. Optimize with Deferrable Views

Identify heavy components that aren't immediately visible and defer their loading:

@defer (on interaction(button)) {
<app-chart />
} @placeholder {
<button>Show Chart</button>
}

Migration Guide

Migrating to Angular 20+ is straightforward thanks to the excellent migration tools:

Update Angular CLI: ng update @angular/cli
Update Angular Core: ng update @angular/core
Run Migration: ng update @angular/core --migrate-only
Update Dependencies: Update other Angular packages

Conclusion

Angular 20+ represents a significant step forward in modern web development. With signals, new control flow, and deferrable views, you can build more performant and maintainable applications.

Start exploring these features in your projects today and experience the improved developer experience that Angular 20+ has to offer.