The job of a web developer is becoming much complex in recent days. With number of browsers increasing at a rapid rate and developed web pages behaving differently in each one of them, cross browser testing has emerged as a necessity to every web developer as the browser preferred by the end user is unknown to them. However, there are many new frameworks that have made it easy for web developers to create browser compatible websites. The most famous framework is the one developed by Google, Angular JS. In the following article, we shall discuss why Angular has become a developer’s first choice and how its features are well used by renowned web apps.
Why Angular Is the First Choice for Developers?
The main reason behind the popularity of Angular is its robustness, platform independency and browser support. Currently all major browsers are supporting Angular. With new updates releasing in frequent intervals, new features are constantly added for enhanced user experience. Although certain custom elements are not natively supported by Firefox yet, however they be made compatible in the upcoming release.
RxJS Rejuvenated
RxJS was never a core part of Angular. However, developers tend to use it because of its properties like Observables and Subjects and its flexibility for developing responsive web applications.
In the latest release, i.e. Angular 6, RxJS version 6 is added, which brings in certain bug fixes and more support for responsive web programming paradigm.
Improved Performance of Animations
In the previous versions of Angular, developers needed to use polyfills for rendering animations properly in all browsers. With the recent release, Angular developers have refreshed the execution of Animation. Web developers can now remove polyfills, sparing about 47kb of bundle space. While expanding the execution of animation in Safari and other native browsers of iOS and MacOS. However, it is a good practice to include polyfills for proper rendering of the application in mobile devices where operating system is below Android 4.1.
Improved CLI and Typescript
In Angular 6, CLI has been reconfigured to empower numerous useful ventures to be contained within one file. Angular-cli.json has been replaced with angular.json. It is helping developers to use Angular in a much more simpler way. Monotonous set up tasks are now automated and developers can now set up and update libraries in mobile and desktop without any difficulty.
Moreover, Angular 6 uses the latest version of TypeScript, which consists all the new ES6 JavaScript features. Hence, browsers which previously failed to compile Angular applications using ES5 JavaScript can now render the application without any difficulty.
Top Applications Developed in Angular
Not only small-scale developers, but even large scale web applications are using Angular to develop their cross browser compatible web applications. Here are some of the big names in the software world who have backed up AngularJS for achieving cross browser compatibility with ease.
PayPal
One of the leading payment companies that deals with Internet payment. PayPal is an application used by people all around the world in desktop as well as mobile devices. A quick look at the application will make anyone realize the fact that Angular can be used to successfully develop a secure, compatible, and responsive application that can handle a huge internet traffic without causing any breakage.
Lego
One of the largest play material manufacturers in the world, dealing with constructive toys made of interlocking bricks also uses Angular for its official website. The Lego website is fully responsive and compatible across different browsers and devices using which, users can virtually explore and purchase the products.
Netflix
Gone are the days when people used to sit in front of the television waiting for the favorite TV series or movies to be telecasted. The trend is shifting towards streaming media, which can be viewed anywhere, anytime using any devices. Netflix is one of the largest entertainment company that focuses mainly on streaming media. The entire desktop as well as mobile application is developed using Angular. A Netflix user can say undoubtedly that the site can efficiently handle millions of internet traffic while effectively streaming media for its viewers.
Freelancer
The largest platform where business owners as well as professional service providers collaborate together to understand each other’s needs. The latest version of Angular is used to develop this global online marketplace, that can run efficiently in all devices as well as browsers.
The Guardian
A leading arena for publishing and design, The Guardian sponsors several awards in creative field. The user interface of this application is designed using AngularJS. The web application is loved by all for its dynamic behavior and compatibility across different devices and browsers.
LambdaTest
Referring to cross compatibility across different browsers and devices, LambdaTest provides an intuitive UI for a cross browser testing ecosystem. Their web-app is a great example of AngularJS design deployment for achieving a pixel-perfect experience, when rendered through various screen sizes.
Browser Usage Statistics and Latest Trends
According to statistics provided by W3C, 97% of end users user Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and IE. Among them IE is the preferred one, followed by Firefox. It is needless to say that a developer should focus on creating an application so that it is rendered properly on all major browsers. In IE, the most used version is IE8. Although previous versions of Angular created many errors while rendering on older versions of internet explorer, latest releases of Angular overcomes this problem with improved CLI and use of typescript. Thus, it provides a developer with all the raw materials needed for developing such an application that is capable enough to attract new users and increase traffic in the created web pages.
With continuous updates, AngularJS appears as a lucrative platform for developing modern websites. Backed up with major software companies, it is emerging as a first choice to web developer from all around the globe. It would be no overstatement to consider AngularJS as a future of web development.
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Top comments (1)
As explained in the docs, Angularjs !== Angular. They are different frameworks. You're using the two names interchangeably in this post and it's confusing. I suspect that maybe some of the companies you cite are not actually using Angular, but instead built their apps using AngularJS. Given how old AngularJS is, it's possible those examples are no longer relevant. For example, it doesn't appear that The Guardian's website is still built using AngularJS.
I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone build a new app using AngularJS, and Google doesn't recommend that people do it either. The framework in in long-term-support mode, and in the future all development (by Google at least) will cease.