Understanding Angular CLI Output: A Developer's Guide to `ng version`

Angular CLI: Understanding ng version Output (Angular 19.2)

The ng version command is one of the first diagnostics any Angular developer should run. It reveals detailed information about the Angular framework version, CLI tools, and the Node/npm environment installed locally.

Here’s a breakdown of a sample output and what each section means for you as a developer:

Angular CLI: 19.2.8
Node: 22.14.0
Package Manager: npm 11.2.0
OS: win32 x64

Angular: 19.2.7
... common, compiler, compiler-cli, core, forms
... platform-browser, platform-browser-dynamic, router

Package                         Version
---------------------------------------------------------
@angular-devkit/architect       0.1902.8
@angular-devkit/build-angular   17.3.16
@angular-devkit/core            19.2.8
@angular-devkit/schematics      19.2.8
@angular/cli                    19.2.8
@schematics/angular             19.2.8
rxjs                            7.8.2
typescript                      5.7.3
zone.js                         0.15.0

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CLI Header Block

Angular CLI: 19.2.8

The version of the Angular CLI (Command Line Interface) globally installed or running in the local workspace. It defines what commands are available (ng generate, ng build, etc.) and aligns with the core Angular framework.

Node: 22.14.0

The Node.js runtime version used. Angular 19 supports Node 18 and above. Newer versions improve performance, compatibility with npm, and ECMAScript features.

Package Manager: npm 11.2.0

This tells you which package manager is being used and its version. Angular supports npm, yarn, or pnpm. npm 11 is the latest and works well with modern dependency trees and workspaces.

OS: win32 x64

Your operating system and architecture (in this case, 64-bit Windows).

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Angular Core Packages

Angular: 19.2.7

The version of the main Angular packages in your project.

Following that, these core packages are grouped:

... common, compiler, compiler-cli, core, forms
... platform-browser, platform-browser-dynamic, router

Package	Purpose
@angular/core	Core framework functionality
@angular/common	Common directives like NgIf, NgFor, pipes, etc.
@angular/forms	Template-driven and reactive forms support
@angular/compiler	Compiles HTML templates into JS
@angular/platform-browser	Browser rendering setup
@angular/router	Routing module for SPA navigation
@angular/compiler-cli	Required for AoT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation
@angular/platform-browser-dynamic	Used during development for JIT compilation

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Tooling Packages

@angular-devkit/*

The DevKit is Angular’s underlying build and project configuration infrastructure:

Package	Role
@angular-devkit/architect	Defines how projects are built/tested
@angular-devkit/build-angular	Implements the build process (Webpack/Vite bridge)
@angular-devkit/core	Utilities shared across the devkit packages
@angular-devkit/schematics	Enables code generation via ng generate

@angular/cli

This package provides the core command-line interface functionality.

@schematics/angular

Contains schematics (code blueprints) for Angular CLI like components, services, pipes.

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Runtime & Compiler Tools

rxjs: 7.8.2

Reactive Extensions for JavaScript. Angular relies heavily on RxJS for reactive forms, HTTP calls, and event handling.

typescript: 5.7.3

The version of TypeScript used to compile your code. Angular 19 supports up to TypeScript 5.7.

zone.js: 0.15.0

Angular uses zone.js for change detection. It patches async APIs like setTimeout, Promise, and DOM events.

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Summary Table

Category	Tool	Purpose
Angular Framework	@angular/core	App logic + DI
Compiler	@angular/compiler-cli	AoT, Ivy, SSR
CLI Tools	@angular/cli	Project scaffolding
Build Tools	build-angular	Webpack/Vite builder
Reactive Streams	rxjs	Observables, Streams
Language Support	typescript	Type-safe JS
Zone Handling	zone.js	Auto change detection

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