How to Update Angular Projects to the Latest Version ?

Updating Angular Projects to the Latest Version is a great way to keep your app running smoothly and to take advantage of new features. Updating Application is necessary in order to bring new features with the upcoming new versions that can help you build better apps. Updates can make your app run faster and more efficiently.

There are several ways to update an Angular project to the latest version, including the following:

1. Using ng update command

This command updates your project's dependencies and modifies your project's configuration files and code to align with the latest version of Angular. For example, to update your project to the latest version of Angular, you can use the following command:

ng update @angular/core

Using the ng-update command updates the entire project and its dependencies to align with the latest version of Angular. It updates the Angular packages and modifies the project's configuration files and codes to align with the latest version of Angular.

2. Using Migration Schematics

Migration Schematics are automated scripts that Angular provides to assist with upgrading your project. They help apply code changes, update configurations, and adjust your project's setup to align with the latest Angular version. For example: The given command helps in updating Angular core from version 17 to version 18.

ng update @angular/core@18

When you update an Angular Project to a newer version, there might be changes or improvements in Angular's APIs and features that could affect your code. Migration Schematics are essential for smoothly transitioning your Angular Project to newer version. They automate code updates and ensure that your project remains compatible with the latest Angular features.

3. Manually updating dependencies

This involves updating the version of Angular in your project's package.json file and running npm install or yarn to update the dependencies. For example, if you wanted to update your project to Angular version 18.2.0, you would change the version of Angular in your package.json file, and then run npm install or yarn to update the dependencies.

Folder Structure:

Now, open the package.json file and update the angular/core version to 18.2.0

"dependencies": {
    "@angular/core": "18.2.0"
}

In the terminal run:

npm install

4. Using the Angular Update Guide

This is a step-by-step guide provided by the Angular team that helps you update your project to the latest version. The guide is available on the Angular website and provides detailed instructions on how to update your project. It also provides an overview of the update process and the steps required to update your project to the latest version.

For instance, if you want to update from version 17 to version 18, you can follow the guide specified in Angular website.

Note: It's important to note that the guide is version-specific, and you should use the guide that corresponds to the version you are updating to.

• Using a tool like ngx-update:  This way of updating an Angular project is using a third-party tool such as ngx-update. This tool automates the process of updating Angular projects, making it easier and less error-prone. The ngx-update is a command-line tool that can update your project to the latest version of Angular, including updating the Angular packages and dependencies and making any necessary code changes. It also provides a detailed report of the update process, including any breaking changes, deprecated features, and recommended code modifications.

For example, to update your project to the latest version of Angular using ngx-update, you can use the following command:

ng add ngx-update

Once you have added the package, you can run the following command to update to the latest version of Angular:

ng update-all

The ngx-update tool also provides a range of additional commands, such as ng update-check which will check if there are any updates available.

Note: It's important to note that using third-party tools like ngx-update can be useful, but it's always good to double-check the update process and the changes made by the tool, as it is less common and might have less support than the official way.