10 Essential Angular CLI Commands for Efficient Frontend Development

Angular is a popular frontend development framework that allows developers to build robust and scalable web applications. One of the key tools in the Angular ecosystem is the Angular Command Line Interface (CLI). The Angular CLI provides a command-line interface for various development tasks, making it easier for developers to scaffold, build, test, and deploy their Angular projects.

In this article, we will explore 10 essential Angular CLI commands that every Angular developer should be familiar with. These commands will help you streamline your frontend development workflow and enhance your productivity.

1. ng new:

The 'ng new' command is used to create a new Angular project. It generates a new directory with the project structure and sets up all the necessary files for an Angular application. To create a new project, open your command prompt or terminal, navigate to the desired location, and run the following command:

ng new my-angular-project

This command will create a new Angular project named 'my-angular-project' in the current directory.

2. ng serve:

The 'ng serve' command is used to start a local development server and serve your Angular application. It automatically rebuilds the application whenever there are changes in the source code and updates the browser in real-time. To start the development server, navigate to your project directory and run the following command:

ng serve

After running this command, you can access your Angular application at http://localhost:4200 in your web browser.

3. ng generate:

The 'ng generate' command is used to generate different types of Angular artifacts, such as components, services, modules, and more. It automatically creates the necessary files and adds the required code snippets. Here's an example of generating a new component:

ng generate component my-component

This command will create a new component named 'my-component' in the 'src/app' directory and update the necessary files to include the component.

4. ng build:

The 'ng build' command is used to build your Angular application for production. It compiles the application into optimized JavaScript, CSS, and HTML files that can be deployed to a web server. To build your application, run the following command:

ng build

After running this command, the compiled files will be created in the 'dist' directory of your project.

5. ng test:

The 'ng test' command is used to run unit tests for your Angular application. It executes the tests using the Karma test runner and generates a detailed report with the test results. To run the tests, use the following command:

ng test

This command will automatically detect and run all the unit tests in your application and display the results in the command prompt or terminal.

6. ng lint:

The 'ng lint' command is used to analyze your Angular application's TypeScript code for potential errors and coding style violations. It utilizes TSLint, a static analysis tool for TypeScript, to perform the analysis. Running this command helps ensure that your code adheres to best practices and maintainability standards. To lint your application, use the following command:

ng lint

This command will analyze your code and display any linting errors or warnings that need to be resolved.

7. ng serve --prod:

The 'ng serve --prod' command is used to serve your Angular application with production settings. It optimizes the build for faster performance and enables additional features like Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation. To serve your application with production settings, run the following command:

ng serve --prod

After running this command, your application will be served with optimized settings suitable for production deployment.

8. ng update:

The 'ng update' command is used to update your Angular project's dependencies to newer versions. It automatically analyzes your project's package.json file and suggests updates for outdated packages. To update your project's dependencies, run the following command:

ng update

This command will check for available updates and prompt you to choose which packages to update.

9. ng add:

The 'ng add' command is used to add new capabilities or libraries to your Angular project. It simplifies the process of integrating third-party packages and automatically configures the necessary files and dependencies. Here's an example of adding the Angular Material library:

ng add @angular/material

This command will install and configure the Angular Material library in your project, enabling you to use its components and styles.

10. ng e2e:

The 'ng e2e' command is used to run end-to-end (E2E) tests for your Angular application. It uses the Protractor framework, which simulates user interactions and verifies the functionality of your application. To run E2E tests, use the following command:

ng e2e

This command will start the E2E testing process and generate a report with the test results.

By familiarizing yourself with these essential Angular CLI commands, you can significantly enhance your frontend development workflow. Whether you are creating a new project, serving your application, generating components, running tests, or deploying to production, the Angular CLI has got you covered.

So, what are you waiting for? Start exploring these commands and take your Angular development to new heights!