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Introduction

Angular is a popular open-source web application framework, primarily used for building single-page applications (SPAs). It's maintained by Google and a community of individuals and corporations. Angular is known for its ability to create efficient, sophisticated, and scalable web applications. Here's a detailed look at Angular, its modules, and how it operates:

Core Concepts of Angular​

  1. Components:-- The basic building blocks of Angular applications. A component controls a patch of screen called a view. Each component is defined using a class that contains application data and logic, and is associated with an HTML template that defines a view to be displayed in the application.

  2. Modules:-- Angular organizes code into modules, which are functional sets of code meant to be used together. An Angular module, defined using the @NgModule decorator, provides a compilation context for its components.

  3. Templates:-- These are HTML views with Angular directives and binding markup that allow Angular to modify the HTML before it gets displayed.

  4. Metadata:-- Decorators that provide additional information about classes to Angular. For instance, @Component decorator tells Angular that a class is an Angular component.

  5. Data Binding:-- This is the automatic synchronization of data between the model and view components. Angular supports two-way data binding.

  6. Directives:-- Angular extends HTML with new attributes called directives. Angular has a set of built-in directives that offer functionalities like manipulating DOM elements, changing styles, and others.

  7. Services:-- Singleton objects that are used for sharing data, implementing application logic, and interacting with external resources. They are defined by a class with a specific purpose and responsibility.

  8. Dependency Injection (DI):-- A design pattern in which a class requests dependencies from external sources rather than creating them.

How Angular Works​

  1. Bootstrap Process:-- Angular starts by bootstrapping the root module. This root module starts the compile process which turns the application code into executable code.

  2. Compilation:-- Angular compiles the templates of the application. It processes the metadata and templates to create JavaScript code.

  3. Rendering:-- Once the application is bootstrapped and compiled, Angular performs rendering. The view is a projection of the model through the app's templates.

  4. Change Detection:-- Angular checks for changes to the data and updates the DOM to reflect these changes. This is done by the change detection process, which runs whenever there are asynchronous events like browser events, HTTP requests, and timers.

Modules in Angular​

  • Root Module:-- The starting point of the application. Typically named AppModule, it's the first module to be loaded.

  • Feature Modules:-- These are modules for specific features or application domains. They help in organizing the code better and splitting the application into manageable chunks.

  • Shared Modules:-- Contain components, directives, and pipes that will be shared across the application.

  • Core Module:-- Contains singleton services, universal components, and other features where there’s only one instance per application.

Advantages of Angular​

  • MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) Architecture:-- Offers a solid foundation for app development.
  • Two-Way Data Binding:-- Reduces the need for manual DOM manipulation.
  • Modularity:-- Facilitates code organization and reuse.
  • Comprehensive:-- Comes with everything needed to build a complex web application.
  • Community and Support:-- Strong support from Google and a large community.

Use Cases​

Angular is particularly well-suited for enterprise-level applications, SPAs, and applications requiring dynamic content management. It's also used in combination with other frameworks and libraries to enhance its capabilities.