AngularJS vs Angular2 | Features and Comparison

Last Updated : 10 Jan, 2023

AngularJS is a front-end dynamic JavaScript framework, used for developing a 'Single Page Application'. AngularJS is managed by Google and is open-source. This means that it is open for contribution by developers around the globe. Due to this, there is a lot of material online available for free, to learn the technology. After its launch, AngularJS quickly became popular. This is because of the large set of functionalities it provided to the developers, like data binding, easier event handling, etc.

AngularJS Features:

MVC Framework: The 'Model View Control' architecture of AngularJS is dynamic in nature. 'Model' covers the data and logic part of the application, 'View' covers the aesthetics of the app, whereas 'Controller' connects these two, and enables the application to function together as a whole. Thus, all the components are built separately and then combined later.
User Interface: AngularJS used basic HTML tags to create the user interface.
Code Less, Do More: The biggest advantage of using AngularJS is that fewer lines of code are required to create the same functionality with AngularJS than with other libraries like jQuery. Data binding is the major factor behind this.
Filter: It helps in creating a pagination system, and in filtering the data array with respect to the given parameters. For example, suppose there is a data array that contains all the natural numbers less 5 i.e [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Now suppose a filter is applied that allows only numbers less than 4 to be added to the resultant array. Therefore, the resultant array will be [1, 2, 3]. This is possible by using the AngularJS filters.
Expressions: The AngularJS expressions are written inside two curly braces. {{expression}}. These are useful in two-way data binding.
Two-way data binding: This helps in creating synchronization between the model and the view. The changes made in the model get instantly reflected in the view, and the changes in the view get instantly reflected in the models. This is useful in creating SPAs.

Example: This example describes the use of the ng-init directive in AngularJS.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <script src=
"https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/angularjs/1.6.9/angular.min.js">
    </script>
    <title>AngularJS ng-init Directive</title>
</head>

<body>
    <h1 style="color:green">
        GeeksforGeeks
    </h1>
    <h2>ng-init directive</h2>
    <div ng-app="" ng-init=
    "sort=['quick sort', 'merge sort', 'bubble sort']">
        Sorting techniques:
        <ul>
            <li>{{ sort[0] }} </li>
            <li>{{ sort[1] }} </li>
            <li>{{ sort[2] }} </li>
        </ul>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Output:

Angular 2 is built on the 'Typescript'. Typescript is an open-source programming language, managed by Microsoft. Angular 2 is completely different from AngularJS. AngularJS had features like controllers, $scope, $scope variables, etc. However, in Angular 2, these features were replaced by new features namely components and directives.

Angular 2 Features:

Mobile Development: Angular 2 is helpful in developing responsive mobile applications.
Performance: The loading time of the application has been reduced. The dynamic loading feature helps in reducing the load time.
Routing: Features like location service and navigational model have improved the routing service in Angular 2.
Cross-platform: Angular 2 applications can be run on all the devices and platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, etc.
Browser Support: Angular 2 supports almost all modern browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, Edge, etc.

Example: This example describes the use of the ng-model directive in Angular2.

app.component.ts:

JavaScript

import { Component, Inject } from '@angular/core';
import { PLATFORM_ID } from '@angular/core';
import { isPlatformWorkerApp } from '@angular/common';

@Component({
    selector: 'my-app',
    templateUrl: './app.component.html',
    styleUrls: [ './app.component.css' ]
})
export class AppComponent {
    gfg: string = '';

setValue() {
    this.gfg = 'GeeksforGeeks';
}
}

app.component.html:

HTML

<h1>GeeksforGeeks</h1>
<input [(ngModel)]="gfg" #ctrl="ngModel" required>
<p>Value: {{ gfg }}</p>
<button (click)="setValue()">Set value</button>

Output:

Difference between AngularJS vs Angular 2:

Factor	Angular JS	Angular 2
Language	Written in JavaScript.	Written in TypeScript(a superset of Javascript).
Routing	$routeprovider.when() is used for routing configuration.	@RouteConfig{} is used for routing.
Architecture	Uses MVC architecture to build the applications.	Uses MVVM architecture to build the applications.
Mobile Support	AngularJS does not support mobiles.	Angular 2 was developed specifically to cater to mobile users.
Iteration	“ng-repeat” is used to iterate through elements.	*ngFor is used to iterate through elements.
Complications	It is easier to learn. However, the application starts to lag once the number of users at a time gets higher than 200.	It is inefficient for creating small applications, as setting up the Angular 2 development environment is difficult.
Speed	It is generally slow.	It is many times faster when compared to Angular JS.
Template	It has a good template system.	It has more powerful templating system than Angular JS.
Syntax	It's syntax is complicated.	It's syntax is simple.
Development	Uses controllers and $scope object for development.	Uses components and directives for development.
Filters	Uses filters to filter out the data.	Pipes are used to filter out the data.
Usage	It cannot be used for the higher versions of Angular.	It has backward compatibility, and can also be used in Angular 4.
Plugin	Additional plugins are not required for the development.	Angular 2 requires additional plugins for development.