What Does an AngularJS Developer Do?
Gone are the days when JavaScript was only used for website menus and simple animations. Instead, JavaScript has become one of the most important languages in use today, powering websites, mobile apps and desktop software.
A big part of JavaScript’s ascendency is the use of various frameworks that make it possible to create single-page applications, of which AngularJS is one of the oldest.
Single-Page Applications
With traditional web applications, when the browser sends a request to the server, the server does all of the heavy lifting. It takes the browser’s request, retrieves the necessary information from the database, formats it appropriately and then displays it to the browser.
While this may seem like an efficient way to handle the process, that efficiency can quickly disappear as a server starts receiving additional requests. As more people start simultaneously accessing the web app, the server can become bogged down trying to return queries, format information and present it to hundreds and thousands of users.
As JavaScript advanced, however, a new way of creating web apps became possible: single-page applications (SPA). SPAs go a long way toward mimicking the experience of a desktop app, rather than a traditional webpage. With SPAs, the server sends all the information necessary for the browser to construct the webpage and display it to the user. This helps significantly reduce the load on the server, especially as more users start accessing it.
Even more than performance, however, SPAs provide a better experience for the end user. The old website paradigm doesn’t always work well for complex web applications. With a traditional website, every click of a button or link sends the user to a new page. Each new page must be loaded in the browser, marking a clear delineation from the previous page.
SPAs, however, allow a developer to more closely emulate the experience users are accustomed to with desktop applications. Rather than sending the user to a new page, SPAs use the Document Object Model (DOM) to manipulate the elements the web browser is displaying in real-time.
This allows the browser to essentially redraw elements on the page, refreshing data and interface components, much like a traditional desktop application would do. For complex web apps, this leads to a superior experience over traditional websites and web applications, and are easier for the end user to relate to.
Mobile and Desktop Apps
Another area where JavaScript has gained significant traction is in the realm of mobile and desktop development. With traditional methods, a developer must learn the specific languages and APIs required to create software for their platform of choice.
While this is the ideal option for a developer who wants to create software specifically for a single platform, or family of platforms, it can pose challenges for the developer who wants to create cross-platform apps. Since Apple’s, Microsoft’s and Google’s platforms—not to mention Linux—have different APIs and preferred programming languages, a developer must learn and specialize in more than one language or API.
As JavaScript frameworks have become more powerful, however, they have provided a solid alternative for cross-platform development. These kind of frameworks allow a developers—especially web developers—to use the technologies they’re already familiar with and create software for the web, desktop and mobile. Best of all, the framework handles the under-the-hood heavy lifting.
Some of these frameworks are designed to tap into the native controls and APIs of the target platform, while others use their own, custom graphics engine for the interface. Either way, the end result is an app that looks, feels and functions like a native application, without the developer having to learn the traditional way of developing for that platform.
AngularJS: The Grandaddy of the Modern JavaScript Frameworks
While there are a number of frameworks that achieve all of the above, AngularJS is one of the oldest, predating React, Vue, Ember and others. Because of this, AngularJS is one of the most popular of these frameworks in use and has a huge developer community to tap into.
As a result, an AngularJS developer can literally find themselves working on the entire gamut of projects. These may include web applications, desktop apps, mobile apps or all three.
Best of all, a developer who specializes in AngularJS can do all of this using a common codebase and framework. Apps created with AngularJS can often be created faster and easier than traditional applications, allowing a developer or development team to get up and running quicker.
The Future of AngularJS
Despite its age, and the rise of newer competitors, AngularJS is one of the most popular options for a reason. It is maintained by Google, as well as a large collection of companies and individuals. This ensures that AngularJS has a bright future for web development, as well as desktop and mobile apps.
Any programmer who specializes in AngularJS development will have a bright future ahead of them.
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Gone are the days when JavaScript was only used for website menus and simple animations. Instead, JavaScript has become one of the most important languages in use today, powering websites, mobile apps and desktop software.
A big part of JavaScript’s ascendency is the use of various frameworks that make it possible to create single-page applications, of which AngularJS is one of the oldest.
Single-Page Applications
With traditional web applications, when the browser sends a request to the server, the server does all of the heavy lifting. It takes the browser’s request, retrieves the necessary information from the database, formats it appropriately and then displays it to the browser.
While this may seem like an efficient way to handle the process, that efficiency can quickly disappear as a server starts receiving additional requests. As more people start simultaneously accessing the web app, the server can become bogged down trying to return queries, format information and present it to hundreds and thousands of users.
As JavaScript advanced, however, a new way of creating web apps became possible: single-page applications (SPA). SPAs go a long way toward mimicking the experience of a desktop app, rather than a traditional webpage. With SPAs, the server sends all the information necessary for the browser to construct the webpage and display it to the user. This helps significantly reduce the load on the server, especially as more users start accessing it.
Even more than performance, however, SPAs provide a better experience for the end user. The old website paradigm doesn’t always work well for complex web applications. With a traditional website, every click of a button or link sends the user to a new page. Each new page must be loaded in the browser, marking a clear delineation from the previous page.
SPAs, however, allow a developer to more closely emulate the experience users are accustomed to with desktop applications. Rather than sending the user to a new page, SPAs use the Document Object Model (DOM) to manipulate the elements the web browser is displaying in real-time.
This allows the browser to essentially redraw elements on the page, refreshing data and interface components, much like a traditional desktop application would do. For complex web apps, this leads to a superior experience over traditional websites and web applications, and are easier for the end user to relate to.
Mobile and Desktop Apps
Another area where JavaScript has gained significant traction is in the realm of mobile and desktop development. With traditional methods, a developer must learn the specific languages and APIs required to create software for their platform of choice.
While this is the ideal option for a developer who wants to create software specifically for a single platform, or family of platforms, it can pose challenges for the developer who wants to create cross-platform apps. Since Apple’s, Microsoft’s and Google’s platforms—not to mention Linux—have different APIs and preferred programming languages, a developer must learn and specialize in more than one language or API.
As JavaScript frameworks have become more powerful, however, they have provided a solid alternative for cross-platform development. These kind of frameworks allow a developers—especially web developers—to use the technologies they’re already familiar with and create software for the web, desktop and mobile. Best of all, the framework handles the under-the-hood heavy lifting.
Some of these frameworks are designed to tap into the native controls and APIs of the target platform, while others use their own, custom graphics engine for the interface. Either way, the end result is an app that looks, feels and functions like a native application, without the developer having to learn the traditional way of developing for that platform.
AngularJS: The Grandaddy of the Modern JavaScript Frameworks
While there are a number of frameworks that achieve all of the above, AngularJS is one of the oldest, predating React, Vue, Ember and others. Because of this, AngularJS is one of the most popular of these frameworks in use and has a huge developer community to tap into.
As a result, an AngularJS developer can literally find themselves working on the entire gamut of projects. These may include web applications, desktop apps, mobile apps or all three.
Best of all, a developer who specializes in AngularJS can do all of this using a common codebase and framework. Apps created with AngularJS can often be created faster and easier than traditional applications, allowing a developer or development team to get up and running quicker.
The Future of AngularJS
Despite its age, and the rise of newer competitors, AngularJS is one of the most popular options for a reason. It is maintained by Google, as well as a large collection of companies and individuals. This ensures that AngularJS has a bright future for web development, as well as desktop and mobile apps.
Any programmer who specializes in AngularJS development will have a bright future ahead of them.
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