AngularJS: Depreciated, not dead

Long the leader, and at one time the only superheroic front end JavaScript framework for the web. AngularJS or “Angular 1” as it is now sometimes referred to, took web development to the next level.

Google; A staple choice for over a decade, long term support from it’s open source community, and backed by its creators is ending in 2022. Many product owners, developers and software companies are faced with the choice of either supporting existing applications, outsourcing to specialists or contemplating re-writes. Tech giants such as Netflix, Upwork, PayPal and YouTube have all used Angular JS for their platforms.

If you were to complete an online search on the technology, it’s likely the search results will contain articles detailing the dangers of continuing with AngularJS followed by a marketing promotion for expensive migration and upgrade services. It’s hard to decide whether this is scaremongering or the reality. As with most technology decisions this is not a clear cut decision and businesses should undergo a thorough review before coming to any decision. 

What is Angular JS?

AngularJS is a JavaScript derived, Model-View-Controller style library that gives developers the toolkit to create a front end framework to fit their specific needs. AngularJS has long been a popular choice for developers looking for an easy and familiar “out of the box” solution to web development.

Founded by Google in late 2010, the library was introduced to tackle dynamic rendering of HTML content in the document object model (DOM) of a web browser. They did this by introducing two way data binding and viewing “states” that encompass their own “state” of data.

What is Angular 2?

With web development and front end heavy applications becoming more and more prominent, TypeScript, a subset of the JavaScript programming language was developed. It encompasses new features such as types and interface and has been designed to ease the development of much larger web programs in a more structured manner.

Typescript has to be compiled, rather than rendering “on the fly” and Angular 2 is the new framework created to support it. We have seen similar changes with other programming languages such as Vue and React.

So is Angular JS Dead and do I need to migrate to Angular 2?

The short answer is no – you don’t need to migrate and you can continue to keep your AngularJS application supported.

Whilst the “public”, OEM backed support to the library repository itself may be finishing at the end of 2021, many vendors and development houses are heavily invested in the library and with millions of AngularJS projects developed for the web it won’t be disappearing any time soon.

The technologies’ open source, flexible nature and a gradual learning curve have made it a favourite amongst many. As well as its ability to run on the LAMP stack with no specific front end heavy requirements or build processes.

Next Steps

At Beacon Business Solutions we can help advise on the correct steps moving forward for your AngularJS application.

We will continue to support and develop with AngularJS. Having designed and developed dozens of projects over AngularJS’ lifetime, we have a rich knowledge of the syntax, and the edge cases that can be satisfied around it. We will patch our repository of the library with relevant security, browser compatibility and JQuery integration updates.

It’s important to ensure businesses do not feel pressured into migrating to a new framework which may not be the right solution for them. If however the correct step is to migrate to an alternative framework, then we can work with you to map out a phased transition plan to smooth out any capital investment and to reduce the risk involved in any technology migration.

If you have questions surrounding AngularJS support, customisations or development, get in touch with one of our experts today.