How to update your AngularJS project to Angular

As you already know the AngularJS team stopped providing full support for the framework in 2021, which means no updates even for vital security issues. If you are seeking possible ways for upgrading AngularJS to Angular — we’ll get you covered. 

Every business and developer has a preferred method for transitioning from AngularJS to Angular. It’s not hyperbole to say that a programmer can apply numerous effective solutions simultaneously to address a problem. It simply depends on how well they fit that specific online application.

On this topic, ModLogix will share some insights about upgrading AngularJS to Angular. Some of them are:

• How to decide if you need to rewrite, migrate or make a hybrid approach

• Best three migration process methods

• Closer look at hybrid and direct change methods

Developer’s dilemma: update or rewrite? 

The ideal transition approach for your team will depend on various aspects. Choosing whether the program can be modified progressively or needs to be totally redone from scratch is a natural place to start. There are several options and many factors to take into account.

The framework of migration is a crucial aspect. While some frameworks support JSX, others support JavaScript, TypeScript, or both. The development team can prefer a particular framework or library or have more familiarity with it. What are the restrictions on what can be utilized and what cannot? How long will it take and what materials will it take to complete the migration? The list might continue forever.

There are alternatives to migration that you should think about, such as rewriting or updating using a hybrid strategy. Information about these options can be found in the section below.

Migration to Angular

In most cases, upgrading from AngularJS to Angular is the best course of action. The information below includes ModLogix suggestions for the migration procedure.

First method: Upgrade

The Angular team developed the library ngUpgrade to allow users to combine and match AngularJS and Angular components.

When you migrate using ngUpgrade, you’re actually running AngularJS and Angular simultaneously. Additionally, you can use both frameworks’ functions and capabilities at the same time.

One framework’s components and services can function along with another framework’s. Dependency injection, the DOM, and change detection are the three basic contexts in which this can be used.

The UpgradeModule is one of ngUpgrade’s primary tools. It includes tools for setting up and maintaining hybrid apps that can run both Angular and AngularJS code concurrently.

The official guide has further information regarding ngUpgrade.

Second method: Angular elements

A package called Angular elements enables the conversion of Angular components into reusable custom elements or Web components.

An Angular component is really downgraded and added to an AngularJS application when Angular elements are applied. This allows you to swap out outdated AngularJS components for fresh ones and create new Angular functionalities.

Custom elements immediately bootstrap when you add them to the DOM. They are instantly destroyed when you take them out of the DOM. It functions and appears like every other HTML element. It doesn’t call for any specialized understanding of Angular terminology or usage guidelines.

The official guide has more information regarding Angular Elements usage.

Third method: Routing

A router is a common building block for single-page applications (SPAs) powered by AngularJS. This means that when switching to Angular, you must move your router. Hybrid routing and direct change are the two methods for router migration.

• Hybrid routing 

• Direct change 

And now let’s take a closer look at each of the routing methods.

Using hybrid approach

Another strategy is to rewrite the application in stages using a hybrid approach. It entails hosting both an AngularJS and an Angular router in your app, with an eventual switch to the Angular one. So, until the old code is completely rewritten, the new code coexists with the old.

More to consider:

• You must ascertain how to include AngularJS using a fresh framework or tool. Different ideas and techniques will be employed with the new framework and tooling.

• The outdated code must be removed as soon as possible. The intention is to move away from AngularJS and avoid creating a monster that is half AngularJS and half another framework. The more time your program spends running two code bases concurrently, the more difficult it is to maintain. You end up providing consumers’ browsers with many megabytes of JavaScript code since even framework runtime code sizes add up.

• As much as you can, you should try implementing new features using a fresh framework rather than the older one. If not, you’ll have even more items to migrate in the future.

With this strategy, it’s crucial to lay out the migration of the app, who will migrate the old features, who will implement the new features, and how the new components will interact.

The official guide has all the needed information about routing. 

Direct change

Developers are essentially free to do whatever they want using this method. You can use any framework you choose. The structure of the application can be redesigned and reengineered, and even the application’s interface and performance can be modified. However, you must switch to the built-in Angular router if you want to keep the SPA in the Angular app.

Although the advantages are evident, there are certainly more factors to take into account before choosing to rewrite the application completely.

• Time and resources: To recreate an application takes time. Making changes require time to build and money to cover a higher workload.

• Staffing and release management: As an app grows in size, more skilled workers are required. You might have to oversee the concurrent development of two applications for a while.

• Support and features: There’s a good probability that, in addition to implementing the new application version, you’ll also need to support the current one and perhaps even add new features to it. The new application must then be updated with the new functionality.

It is appropriate for less complex applications that don’t depend on a hybrid state. This way developers pause work on an older program to concentrate on the new one. Although rewriting doesn’t work for every project, ModLogix advises doing it whenever you can because of the flexibility it provides.

Conclusions

Now, the decision to migrate from AngularJS is made for you. It’s now a question of figuring out how to execute it quickly and smoothly and who will do it for you. The time to take action is now since there are fewer developers who can maintain outdated systems and more and more people switching to modern and reliable frameworks.