One of the most popular JavaScript libraries, jQuery, is losing popularity in favor of AngularJS. Both jQuery and AngularJS are based on JavaScript and are used to design Internet applications, but they’re not the same thing. If we compare jQuery and Angular, the former is a library and the latter fits best in the definition of a framework. The following article describes the biggest advantages of using AngularJS over jQuery.
AngularJS is 100% JavaScript and it is compatible with both desktop and mobile browsers. It was originally developed in 2009 by Misko Hevery and Adam Abrons and it is now maintained by Google. The name Angular came from Adam Abrons who thought that HTML has angle brackets.
jQuery simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for fast web development. Still, there is something lacking in jQuery and that is the structure. AngularJS gives the developers the structures and concepts that apply across various projects, like Controllers, Services and Directives.
The differences between AngularJS and jQuery are easy to understand if you pay attention to what’s happening at runtime. An execution of code within a library happens in response to the code triggering the jQuery function, prompted by some DOM event. Angular turns the DOM tree and JavaScript into an angular app at loading time.
Let’s see below exactly what’s unique about AngularJS:
- AngularJS is a open source web application framework, completely free, already used by thousands of developers around the world to create RICH Internet Applications (RIA).
- Angular works with template HTML code and JSON data and can be used to create Web SPas (Single Page Applications), mobile apps, POC&Prototyping, Testable complex JavaScript Apps (enterprise apps), Test and Behavior Driven Development and Chrome extensions in a very clean and maintainable way.
- AngularJS provides data binding capability to HTML, thus giving users a rich and responsive experience. This Two-Way Data Binding feature enables automatic synchronization of data between the model and the view.
- AngularJS uses dependency injection and makes use of separation of concerns. This is a unique approach. Rather than writing everything inside of JavaScript and having lots of templates to generate the UI, the developer writes a lot of it in HTML and HTML drives the assembly of the application. Also, in AngularJS, the views are pure HTML pages, and controllers written in JavaScript do the business processing.
- With AngularJS, the developer writes less code and gets more functionality. Besides, it is well known that more famous applications are built with AngularJS. Misko Hevery from Google and founding co-author of AngularJS, says that AngularJS tends to be mostly used for internal apps. For example, there are important apps created by Google itself: Double Click, YouTube Leanback and some parts of the administrative Google App Engine consoles.
Above all, AngularJS applications can run on all major browsers and smartphones including Android and iOS based phones/tablets.
The specialists say that every step on the Angular roller coaster learning curve will make you a better developer. If you want to understand the concepts and technologies, our specialists are at your service. Share your thoughts and tell us what are you using now: AngularJS or jQuery?
Photo source: https://angularjs.org/img/AngularJS-large.png
