Angular Article

Introduction

Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source web application framework which was developed by the Angular Team at Google as well as a community of individuals. It was first a JavaScript-based open-source front-end web framework (known as AngularJS) to help develop single-page applications but then developed into a more sophisticated framework.

AngularJS was first launched in 2010, and Angular (otherwise known as Angular v2) was first launched in 2016 as a complete rewrite of AngularJS.

The most recent version of Angular is Angular 7

Features

Both versions of Angular support data binding which relieves the server backend of templating responsibilities. Templates under data-binding are rendered in plain HTML, according to the data contained in a scope defined in the model.

Angular can also be used to create and develop cross platform web applications natively.

Angular is also known for its speed and performance in working with HTML, CSS and JS as well as other front end technologies.

For User Interaction, Angular is very superior to just plain HTML, CSS and JS.

Pros/Cons

Angular has its pros and cons:

Pros	Cons
Two-way data binding - AngularJS allows for faster and easier data-binding which doesn't require a developer to intervene at all. Referred to as two-way data binding, it ensures that changes made to view are instantly displayed in the model and vice-versa.	Inexperience with MVC - If you are unfamiliar with the Model view controller architechural patterns, using Angular can be very time consuming.
DOM Manipulation - Angular conveniently relieves the developer of actively manipulating the DOM, all thanks to its two-way data binding approach, it means that the developer saves time and efforts to code, translate and update the DOM elements.	Possible time consumption - The browser may take time to render pages of websites and applications designed using the framework. It may happen because the browsers would be overloaded to perform additional tasks like DOM manipulation. However, this drawback is limited only to the old computers and devices. The modern ones, especially the mobile devices, don't find it challenging at all.
Improved server performance - Angular reduces the burden from server CPUs. This means the server performs extremely well thanks to reduced traffic and because it only serves static files and responds to the API calls.	The scopes - Angular's scopes can be quite layered and are arranged hierarchically, these can be complex entities to handle if it is your first experience with Angular. One of the most difficult tasks could be debugging the scopes.
Web responsiveness - Fast loading in websites and apps.	Difficult learning - Rather than following a straight learning path, you may face difficulty in getting adapted to the framework, especially if you found JS hard. There is limited documentation too, which does not help, but this should be fixed sooner rather than later (it is community sourced).
Fast Development - If you know JavaScript, then it is relatively easy to learn Angular in less than a few hours.	JavaScript support mandatory for AngularJS - If a users device has disabled JS then that user cannot access your website. This is not the case for plain HTML web pages.
Use of directives - AngularJS makes use of directives that keep the scripts and HTML pages mess-free and extremely organized. These allow to create independent codes by cramming together specific functions and using them repeatedly. Apart from a set of pre-defined directives, the framework also allows developers to create custom devices.	Other difficult features - Directives can be difficult to use for some developers, as well as AngularJS features such as dependancy injections and factories.

Extra Programs

HTML, CSS, JS, and other front end web technologies.
TypeScript
LESS, SASS, Bootstrap, Foundation and other light-weight front-end frameworks.
Competing frameworks such as ReactJS and VueJS
Backend / Interacting end technologies such as Node.js.
App development and design methodoligies

Sources

Summary

In conclusion:

Angular (including its previous frameworks) is a handly tool to work with when it comes to web-development. However, you need to know JavaScript (or TypeScript) to become proficient in Angular, and there are argulably better frameworks out there, such as ReactJS and maybe even Vuejs. Angular is a good starter framework for UI and front-end web development on single page websites / web applications, and is a stepping stone to learning ReactJS and other, more powerful and sophisticated front-end technologies.