4 min read
When it comes to popular JavaScript frameworks, Angular has been noted as one of the most used frameworks. The latest version of this framework has now been released, and this version is known as Angular 8. As the name suggests, this is the eighth version of Angular, and it has arrived with some new exciting features for the developers. Before going to the details of those new and exclusive features of Angular 8, we should analyze the background and history of this framework. In the following section, all these things have been discussed.
History of Javascript based Angular Framework
The first version of Angular was released in the year of 2009, and the framework attained high popularity since that time. In comparison to other JavaScript frameworks, Angular has gained popularity for its exciting features. Nevertheless, it makes the application development process simpler for the developers. With the advent of time, a lot of changes have occurred. With every new release of a new version, you would come across some changes. These changes have enriched this framework further.
The first version, which was released in 2009, has been known as AngularJS. With the first version, there used to be a lot of technical issues or glitches. Large bundle size was a common issue with this old version of Angular. Apart from that, developers also used to face issues like malfunction of dependency injection, complicated debugging issue and various other technical problems. Since developers had to face frequent issues with the old version, a few changes were introduced. This is how the first new version to the old version had arrived to the marketplace.
In Angular 2, a lot of advanced features were added. However, it was not completely perfect. Nevertheless, with the advent of time, the approach for the developers had changed drastically. Developers need more flexibility with the development framework these days. They seek more convenience in the development process. This is why Angular went through further revamps. The latest version that has arrived to the marketplace is known as Angular 8. In other words, this is the eighth upgraded version of Angular framework.
What is new in Angular 8.0
Angular 8 has arrived with a lot of new and exciting features. In this article, those features will be discussed in detail. Before discussing them in detail, it is crucial to have a general view or idea on those features. So, here are the features for you at a glance.
- Angular Material Library
- Command Line Interface
- Core framework
- NativeScript for building native mobile apps
- Firebase integration with Angular
- Optimized bundles for new browsers
- Legacy bundles for the old browsers
- CLI extension automation
Features of Angular 8.0
So, what are the most crucial features of Angular 8? It is the time to discuss them in detail. You need to understand those features carefully as a developer. In the following section, the features are discussed for you.
1. Opt-in usage sharing
In order to keep the alignment with the needs of the community, Angular 8.0 has to be used. For making this process seamless, Angular 8 has introduced the opt-in telemetry in CLI. This feature has been added to collect the anonymous data, like commands, building speed, etc. Based on these data, the developers can judge their performance. As per their performance, they can make changes to their development process so that the process becomes seamless and faster. So, Angular 8 gives the users the facility to check their own development performance. Based on the performance data, the developer can enhance or correct his or her performance.
2. Improved web-worker bundling
Web workers are crucial for enhancing speed and performance of the applications. With angular 8, developers will get the convenience of building applications with the support for CLI for web workers. Angular 7 did not have this feature, and many developers had demanded the feature to be included. As a result, this feature has been introduced to the newest version of Angular. With this feature, the development process is further expected to become simpler as well as seamless.
3. Backward compatibility with Angular
Upgrading the large applications has always been a complicated matter. Many developers find various complications when it comes to upgrading such apps. As a result, developers have to waste their time in upgrading the large apps. Is there any solution to this problem? With the new Angular 8, this problem seems to be resolved with perfection. This problem occurs due to lazy loading of the previous version of the Angular framework. The newest version offers faster loading. Nevertheless, you shall obtain exceptional backward compatibility with the new version of the Angular framework.
4. Typescript 3.4 support
With the new Angular 8, you shall receive excellent support for TypeScript 3.4. It makes the process to update TypeScript easier. Some developers would say that the update is not at all significant. However, one cannot deny the fact that the addition of this feature will make Angular 8 friendlier than the previous versions. You can now generate easy to read and clean JavaScript codes with the help of this application. This will reduce the bugs in your scripting. Nevertheless, you can check the coding and change it anytime as you need without undergoing a lot of hassles.
5. Dart-sass for Sass files
For creating Sass files, you shall find that Angular 8 has discarded the node-sass. In place of the node-sass, it has introduced the dart-sass. Dart has been perceived as one of the superfast coding frameworks for creating the sass files. In fact, Dart will now replace Ruby, and thus Angular 8 has introduced a next generation feature for the developers. The process to create sass files will remain the same, but now you can develop applications with better speed. Developers will surely get a lot of benefits with the introduction of this new feature.
6. Workspace API
With the new builder APIs, you shall obtain the convenience of building third party tools with ease. Using the third party tools for the purpose of application development is often noted as crucial. With the use of third party tools, many features can be integrated to the applications. Thanks to the new workspace API from Angular 8, you shall get amazing convenience. It will help you to create more robust and cutting edge applications. Nevertheless, you shall have the convenience of developing the most powerful applications for your clients. The end product will come with many useful features for the end-users due to the use of the third party tools.
Angular 8.0 Migration benefits
Looking at the new features of the Angular 8.0, many developers would love to migrate to this framework. Migration process has become easy due to the upgraded features of Angular 8. Moreover, you shall further get a few more benefits if you choose to migrate to this framework from your existing framework. Location service has been enabled with the new version, and that has made the Location Upgrade Module seamless. You can easily migrate to the unified location service with the help of this framework. Managing and running hybrid applications will also get easier with the Angular 8.
In conclusion, it should be stated that Angular 8 promises a lot of new and advanced features for the developers. With the use of this advanced framework, developing applications will get simpler and less time consuming.