If you’re a web developer or someone interested in the digital world, you’ve probably heard about Angular.
It’s a dynamic and powerful TypeScript-based framework widely acclaimed for crafting scalable web applications.
But what exactly makes Angular stand out? And more importantly, how do we harness its full potential to ensure our apps run smoothly, swiftly, and efficiently?
Angular is not just another framework; it’s the go-to choice for many developers.
Its appeal lies in its ability to let you create reusable custom components, simplify processes with an intuitive CLI (Command Line Interface), and enhance performance through server-side rendering with Angular Universal.
Plus, having robust support from a tech giant like Google is always reassuring.
However, even with these impressive features, optimization is the key to truly successful Angular applications.
Today, an app’s performance can make or break its success. Users expect lightning-fast responses, and search engines favor well-optimized sites. So, how do we ensure our Angular apps are not just functioning but thriving?
In this blog, we go in-depth into the world of Angular. We’ll explore and unpack 9 effective ways to optimize your Angular apps in 2024.
So, let’s unlock the full potential of your Angular applications!
Why Optimize Angular Apps?
While Angular simplifies frontend development, it’s not without its challenges. Complex Angular applications can become sluggish, especially if not developed with best practices in mind.
Unlike React, Angular has a steeper learning curve and a more rigid structure. However, when used correctly, Angular can power high-performance applications, making optimization crucial.
If done right, Angular can be an advantageous framework that facilitates the development of highly performant apps. Therefore it is necessary to optimize angular apps.
The Solution: Optimization
Optimization is a standard solution to angular performance tuning. The optimization involves altering your application’s code for better performance and easier maintenance.
One common misconception is that optimization begins after your application has been deployed. The process should start right when you start writing your code; otherwise, it becomes harder to reverse mistakes.
Likewise, you need to optimize angular apps for the clean execution it promises. To aid your next project in angular, we’ve compiled an Angular app optimization checklist, which can help improve performance of angular apps.
Read more on Optimization: Your Ultimate Guide To Build SEO-Friendly Angular Websites in 2023
7 Effective Methods to Optimize Angular Apps:
1. AoT Compilation
As mentioned earlier, Angular is based on Typescript. To compile Typescript to JavaScript- there are two modes:
- Just-in-Time Compilation (JIT): This mode compiles during execution. Specifically, the program translates to native code (in this case, JavaScript) only when a function is invoked. While JIT is advantageous for cross-platform development, it has its drawbacks. For instance, rendering larger components can be time-consuming due to on-the-fly compilation.
- Ahead-of-Time Compilation (AoT): AoT compiles during the build phase. This approach eliminates the need for an Angular compiler in the final deployment bundle. The benefits are twofold: it reduces the app’s size and accelerates the rendering of components, leading to enhanced performance.
For optimal Angular app performance, leveraging AoT Compilation is a pivotal step.
2. Change Detection
Change Detection is a mechanism in Angular that monitors and reflects changes in user data within component data. For extensive applications, frequent change detection can impact performance. To enhance this, consider the following strategies:
1. OnPush Change Detection Strategy
By default, Angular checks for changes starting from the root component down to the smallest subtree, which can be inefficient. The OnPush strategy streamlines this by focusing only on specific branches that require change detection, leaving out unnecessary checks on other branches and root components.
| @Component({ selector: ‘app-root’, template: `Number of ticks: {{numberOfTicks}}`, changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush, }) class AppComponent { numberOfTicks = 0; constructor(private ref: ChangeDetectorRef) { setInterval(() => { this.numberOfTicks++; // require view to be updated this.ref.markForCheck(); }, 1000); } |
2. Detach Change Detector
Every component in Angular has an associated Change Detector. In applications with numerous components, this can prolong rendering times. A remedy is to detach the Change Detector from select components, ensuring their associated subtrees aren’t unnecessarily checked.
This can be done by calling the class ChangeDetectorRef:
| abstract class ChangeDetectorRef { abstract markForCheck(): void abstract detach(): void abstract detectChanges(): void abstract checkNoChanges(): void abstract reattach(): void } |
3. Using Pure Pipes
Pipes in Angular transform input values within template expressions. There are two categories: pure and impure. Pure pipes, as the name suggests, give consistent output for identical input. In contrast, impure pipes might yield varying results for the same input. By default, pipes are pure.
Leveraging pure pipes ensures change detection activates only when there’s an actual change in value.
| @Pipe({ name: ‘filterPipe’, pure: true }) export class FilterPipe {} |
3. Lazy Loading
Lazy loading is an inherent Angular feature designed to enhance app performance. In intricate applications with multiple feature modules, loading all modules simultaneously during app launch can be resource-intensive, leading to slower performance and increased memory usage.
Instead, lazy loading strategically loads only the necessary modules at the start. Additional modules are loaded on-demand as users access specific features.
This can be implemented in Angular by using loadChildren in the AppRoutingModule routes configuration, replacing the typical ‘component’ approach.
| const routes: Routes = [ { path: ‘items’, loadChildren: () => import(‘./items/items.module’).then(m => m.ItemsModule) }]; |
Now add a route for the component in the newly lazy loaded module’s routing module
| const routes: Routes = [ { path: ”, component: ItemsComponent } ]; |
4. Web Workers
JavaScript operates on a single-threaded model, meaning it has one main thread executing in the browser. For applications involving intensive tasks like rendering graphs or performing complex calculations, this can lead to performance bottlenecks.
To counteract this, JavaScript introduces “Web Workers” – a code structure that spawns parallel threads alongside the main thread. This allows for simultaneous task execution, ensuring smoother app performance with fewer interruptions.
The implementation of a Web Worker adheres to a specific code format.
| if (typeof Worker !== ‘undefined’) { // Creating a new worker const worker = new Worker(‘./app.worker’, { type: ‘module’ }); worker.onmessage = ({ data }) => { console.log(`message: ${data}`); }; worker.postMessage(‘Web workers at work…’); } else { // fallback mechanism so that your program still executes correctly } |
5. Unsubscribing from Observables
Observables, part of the RxJS library, facilitate data communication between publishers and subscribers in Angular. They support event handling, asynchronous operations, and the management of multiple values. While observables are integral to Angular applications, they’re only active for subscribers.
However, subscriptions to observables can introduce issues, notably memory leaks. These leaks often arise from globally declared variables during subscription. To maintain optimal performance, it’s essential to periodically review and unsubscribe from observables when they’re no longer needed.
A common approach to unsubscribing is:
| let subs: Subscription[] = []; ngOnInit() { this.subs.push(this.service.Subject1.subscribe(() => {})); this.subs.push(this.service.Subject2.subscribe(() => {})); } ngOnDestroy() { subs.forEach(sub => sub.unsubscribe()); } |
6. Preloading Modules
Lazing Loading does good optimization of angular apps by loading modules as per a user’s needs. But this can have an undesirable effect when the router has to fetch other modules from the server which ends up taking more time.
Preloading serves as a solution to this problem. With preloading the router loads all the modules in the background beforehand while the user interacts with only the lazy loaded modules.
Preloading can be incorporated by adding:
| abstract class PreloadingStrategy { abstract preload(route: Route, fn: () => Observable<any>): Observable<any> } |
7. Tree Shaking
Tree-shaking is the methodology used for removing unnecessary dead code from JavaScript. Dead code refers to modules that are left unused during build time. This aids in minimizing build size to the maximum and thereby optimizing the app size.
Tree-Shaking is enabled by default if you use Angular’s CLI.
To enable Tree-Shaking, use the following command:
| <listing> ng build –prod <listing> |
8. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) with Angular Universal
- Server-Side Rendering enhances the performance and SEO of Angular applications by rendering them on the server side.
- This approach serves the browser a fully rendered page, improving the initial loading time, especially for users on slower internet connections.
- Angular Universal is the tool designed for SSR in Angular. It pre-renders the application on the server, sending a static page to the client.
- This reduces the time to first paint and improves the app’s performance on search engines.
- To implement SSR with Angular Universal, you can use the following command:
- ng add @nguniversal/express-engine
| Ng add @nguniversal/express-engine |
9. Advanced State Management with NgRx or Akita
Efficient state management is vital for high-performance Angular apps, particularly in complex scenarios.
Libraries like NgRx or Akita provide advanced methods for managing app states in a predictable, scalable, and maintainable manner.
These libraries offer features like lazy loading of states, memoization to optimize derived data computation, and efficient side-effect management.
This leads to enhanced performance by reducing unnecessary computations and re-renderings. To integrate NgRx in your Angular app, use:
| ng add @ngrx/store |
For Akita, the command is:
| ng add @datorama/akita |
The Dual Nature of Angular
Angular’s strengths can sometimes be seen as its limitations. Its structured framework ensures consistent solutions to common development challenges. However, this rigidity can sometimes curtail a developer’s creativity, preventing them from exploring custom solutions to unique problems.
For optimal results, it’s crucial to approach Angular development holistically. The right development company understands that building and optimizing Angular applications should occur simultaneously to achieve peak efficiency. Partnering with the right Angular development company can make all the difference, ensuring that the application is both robust and flexible to meet diverse needs.
Conclusion
As we wrap up our exploration into the realm of how to optimize your angular apps in 2024, it’s clear that angular continues to be a formidable force in the web development landscape.
This guide has explored nine key strategies, from Ahead-of-Time Compilation to lazy loading, each crucial for enhancing app efficiency and user experience.
Remember, optimizing angular app performance is a continuous process, adapting to evolving technologies and user expectations.
Embrace these methods to transform your Angular apps into faster, smoother, and more responsive solutions for the ever-changing digital landscape.
