10 Advantages and Disadvantages of AngularJS | Drawbacks & Benefits of AngularJS

When it comes to web development one popular option that comes to everyone's mind is the AngularJS. Developed by Google, AngularJS is a JavaScript based framework that can be used to create mobile and web applications. Developers need not to learn a separate language. The applications can be created simply with an existing programming language JavaScript and all the HTML contents will be converted to dynamic pages. AngularJS has gained much popularity due to its simplicity and straightforwardness. There are various other factors which enhance the functionality of AngularJS. 

Al though AngularJS helps to overcome many of the challenges faced by a developer, still it isn't flawless. Similar to a coin facing two sides, AngularJS has its own advantages and disadvantages. It cannot support all the applications. These pros and cons can be used to decide when do we need to use AngularJS.

In this article, I will be discussing about 10 Advantages and Disadvantages of AngularJS | Drawbacks & Benefits of AngularJS. This article discusses all the possible pros and cons of using AngularJS.

Let's get started,

Advantages of AngularJS

1. User Experience

Apps created using AngularJS is very responsive in in terms of navigation and loading. The preinstalled features of AngularJS makes it automatically responsive. So that the developers need not want to take any extra actions. 

And also AngularJS follows an approach of declarative coding where it completely eliminates the need to write longer lines of code. Hence, there is no burden of writing codes for each and every function.

2. Server Performance

The CPU servers will perform faster due to the fact that the load on it is reduced. There is no other function other than responding API calls and serving static files. This is because it is compatible with caching and other processes. Thus, the application shows higher performance and smooth navigation.

3. Data Binding 

Data binding in AngularJS occurs by binding expressions with data. Through this the data is decoupled. If the developer wants to create templates, they only need to make changes to the presentation layer. The corresponding changes will be shown instantly in the model. 

This can also happen in the vise versa which makes data binding a two way process. As a result, the testing ability is significantly enhanced reducing the development time.

4. DOM Manipulation

Another benefit of two way binding is that it makes it easy to manipulate DOM (Document Object Model). DOM allows the developers to manipulate the documents which is not allowed in other JavaScript frameworks. From this, different alternative methods are offered saving the time spent in DOM elements.

5. Development Time

The development time in AngularJS is significantly reduced so that you can almost save 30% of the time spent in coding. More functions can be easily achieved with fewer lines of code. This is because the user interface of AngularJS makes it comfortable to learn. Especially, for the beginners who are new to this framework. Eventually, due to this you can save cost spent for the development. 

6. Testing & Debugging

Several testing tools are provided by the AngularJS framework. Some of them are Karma, Protractor and Jasmine. In fact there is no other framework except AngularJS which provides tested products. Since the tool is already tested, it can further speed up the testing and debugging process by making things much simpler.

7. Directive Usage

Usage the directives increases the functionality of applications. Directives make sure that written HTML are very well organized by eliminating any kind of mess. Therefore, you will be able create contents those are rich and dynamic. Additionally, using AngularJS you can add many custom designs and functions in several different ways instead of relying on predefined directives.

8. Application Programming

Since there is very less code to write in AngularJS it automatically speeds up the prototyping process. With AngularJS you can create apps that support prototypes. Due to this the apps will be with good functionality and features. Moreover, the changes can be implemented instantly without much effort.

9. HTML Templates

Templates in AngularJS are written in plain HTML language. So whenever it passes through the compiler it is in the form of DOM rather than strings. Besides offering better workflow this type of setup allows the templates to be reused many number of times.

10. Community Support

Due to its popularity, AngularJS has gained wide attention among many developers. The community is composed of developers who are specialized in problem solving. So you ensure that there is almost answers for every that you on AngularJS. In addition to that, the community provides free training materials and other third party tools for simplifying using this platform.

Disadvantages of AngularJS

1. Performance

Apps built using AngularJS framework are prone to bugs and glitches that can severely affect the performance. Users with AngularJS apps can notice this when their app starts lagging along with glitches. 

And the fact that the apps in AngularJS are dynamic further contributes to its reduced performance. Due to their big sized SPAs, AngularJS always faced lagging issues. In order to overcome this, you need to implement other methods.

2. Security

Since AngularJS is based on JavaScript, it is not secure on default. So in order to safeguard the app, the developer needs to depend the server side authentication and authorization methods.

 

3. Complexity

Despite being an outstanding tool for web development, still AngularJS is a complex framework. Even some experienced web developers find it confusing using this framework. For reading the code, you must understand the frontend development. However, there are many experts who have specialized with this and knows every little details about it. So you can look for their help. 

4. JavaScript Dependency

Another drawback of AngularJS being a JavaScript framework is that it has limited access to computers. Many of the computers simply block JavaScript related sites. On default, their systems have blocked JavaScript options. Hence, it your site is also built using AngularJS, the relevant visitors cannot access your site. This means you are going to lose a lot of traffic.

5. Learning Curve

Beginners have to face lots of challenges adopting to this framework. Similar to React and Vue, AngularJS does not follow a straightforward learning approach. To accomplish any task there is more than one approach available. While this sounds great for resolving problems, the same could bring confusion among developers. And also, with very little online documents, the learning process becomes further complicated.

6. MVC Familiarity

For using AngularJS, you need to know the concepts of Model View Controller (MVC). Most of the traditional approaches cannot be implemented on MVC. If you are willing to follow the traditional approach, it can be difficult to understand this platform because it takes lots of time. Eventually, you will have trouble completing deadline imminent projects. 

7. Browser Overload

AngularJS is involved in some intensive tasks such as DOM manipulation. So some old devices are incapable of rendering websites built using AngularJS. Rendering both websites and applications take some time. Modern devices however comes with powerful specifications that don't find this as a problem.

8. Memory Leakage

There is a small leakage of memory from the pool of large memory. As the framework is based on JavaScript, we cannot deny that. When this happens, your app will certainly experience crashes and slowdowns.

 

9. Library Compatibility

Whatever the tools or libraries that you use, it needs to be specifically built for AngularJS. Otherwise, the tools or libraries will not work properly. This in turn will increase the time spent in development. Especially, for the pages that has several JavaScript languages.

10. Framework Limitations

This framework posses several limitations on the way of programming. Hence, you cannot perform things on your own way. Moreover, for carrying out one single task there are more than one approach available. Even though this seems great, there can be time when you are unable to find out the optimal approach.