Angular Architecture Best Practices

Building scalable software is a challenging task. When we think about scalability in front-end applications, we can think of increasing complexity, more and more business rules, and a growing amount of data loaded into the application and large teams often distributed worldwide. To deal with mentioned factors to maintain a high quality of delivery and prevent technical debt, robust and well-grounded architecture is necessary.

Angular is one of the most powerful JavaScript frameworks for building dynamic programming structures like web apps, native apps, and SPAs. Angular is a self-sufficient yet flexible enough framework to be integrated with any other frameworks

Angular itself is a framework, that forces developers to code in a standard way but there would be some glitches so here I have presented some high-level standard points to build a standard Angular application.

Below are some examples of best architecture practices:

1. Best practices using Angular Coding styles
2. Using Angular CLI for structured folder
3. Break the large components into manageable sizes
4. Proper utilization of Lazy Loading
5. Modular development for clean application structure
6. Build reusable components
7. Angular coding styles for organized folder structure
8. Use of service workers for the fastest responsive apps
9. Avoid using logic in the component
10. Security best practices in Angular apps
11. Prevent memory leaks
    

Best practices using Angular Coding styles

One of the most important in building any application is efficiency in coding. Your code quality and health play a significant role in deciding the effectiveness of the application. Developers face difficulties in fixing bugs and identifying immediate issues when dealing with complex codes.

• Make sure that the code does not exceed 400 lines limit per file
• Ensure that the code does exceed 75 lines limit per function
• Proper usage of ‘let’ and ‘const’
• Name of the properties and methods that should be used in lower camelcase
• Don’t name the interface with starting uppercase “I” as it is done in any other programming language
  

Using Angular CLI for structured folder

Properly utilizing Angular CLI is one of the Angular best practices you can not avoid.

• Angular CLI is a Command Line Interface tool used for initializing, developing, scaffolding, maintaining, testing, and debugging Angular apps
• It can be used to build the initial level structure for your overall application

#Install Angular CLI

npm install -g @angular/CLI

#check the Angular CLI version

ng version

• Using Angular CLI makes it easier for other developers to understand the app flow and folder structure, saving a lot of development time

Here are some essential commands for Angular CLI

• ng new - Creates an app that already works, out of the box.
• ng generate - Used for generating components, services, routes, and pipes with test shells
• ng serve - helps to test your application locally when developing
• ng test - for running various angular tests on your app
• ng lint - helps your Angular code to shine
• ng add @angualr/PWA - helps in setting up various Angular service workers
  

Break the large components into manageable sizes

Just like you need to keep code files clean, you should practice the same habit for your components. Significant components can be tricky to test, debug and maintain. Overall the angular app would benefit greatly from increased efficiency in breaking more significant components into smaller manageable ones. One of the best practices is to try and break your significant component into smaller ones to the extent that each has only one atomic task.

Proper utilization of Lazy Loading

• Utilizing lazy load modules can enhance your productivity.
• Lazy load is a built-in feature in Angular which helps developers with loading the thing which is required.
• For example, when you use the feature, it loads the components and other things you needed and stops other unnecessary files to get loaded:

{ path: ‘not-lazy-loaded’’, component: NotLazyLoadedComponent }

Modular development for clean application structure

• Angular applications are meant to be super quick.
• An enterprise-grape app contains multiple modules with different functionalities.
• The modularization of an application refers to dividing the application into several parts.
• For example,  large applications like bulky content sites only contain a few essential routes in the app component. While other modules are divided according to their functionalities.
• It not only benefits in initial loading time but also organizes the entire coding structure module-wise, making it easier for developers to understand.

Here’s an example:

Build reusable components

• Reusability is a golden feature of Angular and can not be omitted from Angular best practices.
• If there’s a part of your Angular app’s UI that you know you would need in multiple places, build a component for it and use the component.
• This will help in implementing the UI element consistently throughout the application.
• In this case, if your app goes through a redesign process for some reason, you will not have to change the code at multiple places, just a single change and you are good to go.
  

Angular coding styles for organized coding structure

Optimized and organized folder structure helps angular for easy maintainability, readability, and accessibility to any content. Here are some Angular folder structure best practices:

• File Naming:

1. The name of your files and folders should convey the purpose
2. Be consistent with the naming pattern that is - file-feature.filetype (For instance, consultation.component.ts, auth.service.ts, component.html).
3. If you want to be more descriptive of your file use (-) in the filename (For instance, db-dashboard.component.ts, book-analysis.component.ts).

• Class Naming:

When naming your classes, use the upper camel case style with added suffix representing your file type - DBDashboardComponent, AuthService.

• Folder structure example,

Use of service workers for the fastest responsive apps

User interaction has been made easy with the use of Angular application, it can be done by converting traditional web apps into single-page applications, reducing file sizes, adding responsiveness, and creating interactive web apps.

• Service workers make it easier for users to interact with web apps.
• They convert your single-page apps into progressive web apps by adding native features to them.
• Service workers are available after angular version 5.
• They enhance the user experience by allowing users to access the native features of the app without having to wait for internet connectivity.
• Offers native app experience, completely caches the version on refreshing web apps
• Loads the latest cached code in the new tabs
• Downloads the resources only upon the change contents.
• Serves the previous version of the application until the stable version is served
  

Avoid using logic in the component

Many developers mix the components and business logic, resulting in a complex and untidy mess, that is difficult to comprehend.

Advantages of keeping logic and components separate

• The testing process of UI and components differs from logic testing
• Different services for business logic are used to improve code reusability and quality
• Having logic in a separate service will allow you to use it in multiple components.
• This would result in a reduction of build size and also lesser code
  
  

Security best practices in Angular apps

The most vulnerable part of your application could be security. Cross-site scripting is one major reason that your client-side platform needs protection. This type of scripting attack can pass on to the controls on the client side and change the web pages that are viewed by the users. On the other hand, these attacks can be prevented by some built-in provisions that the framework provides.

Hence, while using this protective aspect of Angular, developers should be mindful of certain tasks that the framework performs:

• Regular Maintenance of Angular Libraries
• Prevention of XSS cross-site security threats
• Sanitization and security contexts
• DOM sanitization service
• Context security policy
• Offline template compiler
  

Prevent memory leaks

A memory leak is the gradual loss of available computer space when an application incorrectly manages memory allocation, where obsolete memory is not properly released. Another way a memory leak can happen is when the running code can no longer access an object stored in the memory. Here are some important suggestions and best practices for securing Angular apps against memory leaks.

• Use of async pipe
• Using take(1)
• Using takeUntil