In the dynamic world of web development, Angular continues to hold its position as a powerhouse framework for building robust and scalable web applications. As we venture into the year, the demand for skilled Angular developers remains more vital than ever.
Finding the right tech experts in this competitive landscape requires a strategic approach. Read this comprehensive guide and learn how to identify, evaluate, and ultimately hire Angular developers who can drive your web engagements to success, starting now.
About Angular
Angular is a versatile and powerful open-source JavaScript framework widely used for building modern web applications. It is developed and maintained by Google and offers a comprehensive set of tools and features that simplify the development process and enable the creation of highly interactive and dynamic user interfaces.
One of Angular's key strengths is its tight integration with TypeScript. This integration brings enhanced tooling, type safety, and better code organization to the development process, making it particularly attractive for large-scale projects.
Angular provides many features and tools, including two-way data binding, dependency injection, and a powerful templating engine. These features help streamline development and allow developers to build interactive and responsive user interfaces quickly.
Technical skills of an Angular developer
Abdulrahman Hashem, a Frontend Developer from Proxify’s network, highlights some of the critical technical skills a great Angular developer should have:
TypeScript/JavaScript
Angular is built on top of TypeScript, and a strong understanding of the latter is essential when building Angular web applications. TypeScript is a strongly typed programming language, and it's a superset of JavaScript, giving better tooling at any scale. It adds features like static typing and data type definitions, which can help catch errors at build time and reduce runtime errors. However, JavaScript is fundamental for frontend development and significantly makes Angular applications dynamic and interactive.
HTML/CSS
It's essential to have a strong foundation in HTML and CSS as Angular works closely with templates and styles, and any frontend developer should be able to create clean, semantic HTML and style it effectively using CSS or preprocessors like SCSS/SASS. These are the building blocks of web development, and a good understanding of them can help with debugging and troubleshooting.
RxJs
Angular heavily relies on event handling and reactive programming structures implemented in RxJs, like observables, operators, and subscriptions. It's crucial for handling asynchronous operations and creating responsive user interfaces.
Angular architecture
A strong command of Angular is essential because it has specific architecture and design patterns used to build scalable and maintainable applications. This includes knowledge of components, services, routing, modules, and DI (dependency injection).
Knowing how to create, build, and test Angular applications is essential. These tools can help streamline the development process and improve the DX (developer experience). It also helps improve the web application performance by bundling the app for production.
Testing frameworks
Testing is an integral part of building any application, and Angular provides several testing frameworks like Jasmine, Karma, Protractor, and Cypress. An Angular developer should have experience with these frameworks and understand how to write unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests.
Other skills
However, Abdulrahman mentions non-direct technical skills related to Angular, which any Angular developer should know. These include:
- RESTful APIs: Most frontend applications interact with backend services through RESTful APIs. To make a dynamic web application, the developer should understand how to make HTTP requests, handle responses, and manage them efficiently.
- Version control (Git): Proficiency in Git is essential for collaborative and code version control. It helps resolve conflicts and ensure code quality through code reviews.
The importance of previous experience when hiring an Angular Developer
Previous experience with this framework is crucially essential when hiring an Angular developer. However, it is not the most important. Here's what Abdulrahman says:
"Previous experience can be important when hiring an Angular developer, but it's not the only factor to consider when assessing them."
He suggests the importance of previous experience comes from the following factors.
Familiarity with Angular concepts & libraries
It's known that the Angular learning curve is more complex than other frameworks or libraries. So, to be familiar with these concepts, the candidate must have previous industry experience. This can lead to quicker engagement and reduce the future learning curve for Angular technologies and concepts. Moreover, Angular has many tools and libraries, such as Angular Material, NgBootstrap, NgRx, etc. Experienced developers will likely be familiar with these tools, which can help improve development productivity.
Best practices
Experienced Angular developers will likely follow best practices and coding standards specific to Angular, such as implementing a suitable DI mechanism, sticking to an events-driven pattern, and writing reactive and efficient code. This contributes to code consistency, maintainability, and scalability.
Interview questions and example answers
Depending on the level of expertise you need from the Angular developer, you can choose between beginner-level and expert-level questions.
Here are just some question examples out of many:
1. What are the main differences between Angular.js and Angular (2+)?
Example answer: Angular.js is a JavaScript framework that uses two-way data binding and primarily focuses on building web applications. In contrast, Angular (2+) is a complete rewrite of TypeScript, emphasizing component-based architecture and one-way data binding. It offers better performance, modularity, and improved tooling, making it more suitable for modern web development. Angular.js does not provide mobile support, while Angular supports mobile.
2. Explain the Angular component lifecycle hooks and their uses.
Example answer: Angular has several lifecycle hooks like ngOnInit, ngOnChanges, and ngOnDestroy. For instance, ngOnInit is commonly used for initialization tasks like making API requests. At the same time, ngOnChanges is helpful when monitoring input changes. ngOnDestroy is essential for cleaning up resources like unsubscribing from observables to prevent memory leaks.
3. What is Angular CLI, and why is it important?
Example answer: Angular CLI is a command-line tool that helps automate various development tasks like project scaffolding, code generation, and building. It enforces best practices, simplifies complex configurations, and provides a consistent development environment. Using Angular CLI ensures efficient project management and reduces configuration errors.
4. Explain Angular modules and their role in an application.
Example answer: Angular modules are containers that group related components, services, and other code into cohesive units. They help organize an application's structure, improve modularity, and enable lazy loading for optimizing performance. Modules are pivotal in defining the application's architecture and promoting reusability.
5. How does Angular handle dependency injection, and why is it essential?
Example answer: Angular uses a hierarchical injector system to manage dependencies. It allows components and services to request dependencies without explicitly creating instances, promoting loose coupling and reusability. Dependency injection also simplifies unit testing by facilitating mock services during testing.
6. Discuss Angular routing and lazy loading. When and why should you use lazy loading in an Angular application?
Example answer: Angular routing enables navigation between different parts of a single-page application. Lazy loading is a technique where you load modules on-demand rather than all at once during the initial app load. It's beneficial for large applications to improve performance by reducing the initial bundle size and load times. You should use lazy loading when you have feature modules that aren't needed immediately on app startup.
7. How do you handle authentication and authorization in an Angular application?
Example answer: Authentication is typically implemented using services and guards. A common approach is to store tokens in local storage or cookies after successful login and send them with API requests. Authorization is managed by route guards, ensuring that only authorized users can access specific routes or components.
8. Explain Angular forms. What are template-driven and reactive forms, and when would you use each?
Example answer: Angular offers two types of forms: template-driven and reactive. Template-driven forms rely on Angular directives in the template, making them ideal for simple forms with minimal validation. Reactive forms are built programmatically using TypeScript, providing more control and flexibility, making them suitable for complex forms with extensive validation and dynamic behavior.
9. Describe AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation in Angular and its benefits.
Example answer: AOT compilation is a process where the Angular application is compiled to native JavaScript during the build phase instead of at runtime. This reduces the bundle size and improves application performance by catching errors at build time rather than runtime. It also enhances security by preventing template injection attacks.
10. How do you optimize the performance of an Angular application?
Example answer: Performance optimization in Angular involves techniques like lazy loading, code splitting, tree shaking, optimizing network requests, and using change detection strategies like OnPush. Other strategies include minimizing ngFor large data sets and utilizing Angular Universal for server-side rendering. Profiling with tools like Angular CLI's built-in profiler or Chrome DevTools can help identify bottlenecks.
11. Elaborate on the interaction between the components' parent' and 'child.'
Example answer: We use the @input decorator in the child when we pass the data from parent to child. When it is the other way around (passing data from child to parent), we use @output decorator, also in the child.
Sharing data in this way is a common pattern practice in Angular.
12. How would you secure the Angular app?
Example answer:
- Ensure that requests are not from external websites but from your app.
- Double-check and ensure data sanitization
- Skip the DOM APIs and use an Angular template
- Rely on the Content Security Policy for Angular to reduce the risk of web attacks.
- Also, complete the data validation that has server-side code
- Execute compiling, but use an offline type of template compiler
- In general, skip using any external URLs
- Regarding the JSON responses, try to convert them to a non-executing format.
- Regularly update frameworks and libraries.
To this, Abdulrahman adds:
"As a developer with Angular experience, I would inquire about a quick test dealing with Angular router and lazy loading module. Then, about handling URL query parameters change with RxJs reliable stream and operators, parallel with error handling, and completed with cleaning up subscriptions to avoid memory leaks. Overall, this would take around 15 minutes."
How to attract top tech experts in the competitive field of Angular development
In the dynamic and fiercely competitive landscape of Angular development, attracting top tech experts is not just a matter of posting job listings; it's a strategic endeavor that requires a holistic approach. Your business must craft a compelling strategy to stand out in this crowded field and secure the expertise needed to drive innovation.
Here's what Abdulrahman suggests:
- Detailed job description: Create a job ad highlighting the role's exciting prospects and the growth opportunities for the chosen candidate. This excites them even more about getting the job and performing well when they are selected.
- Professional development: Offering an opportunity for the developer to learn, improve their skills, or enroll in training programs shows them your company is committed to leveling up their skills and increasing their capabilities. Additionally, the developer notes that such a company is mature enough and cares about its employees.
- Reasonable compensation: Competitive compensation and benefits are essential to attract top tech experts. So, researching the market and offering an impressive contract with reasonable benefits is necessary.
- Innovative projects: Sharing information with the candidates about the company portfolio and its field of interest will give them a heads-up about the exciting and innovative projects they will work on.
- The right tech involved: Mentioning the required skills or the technologies/libraries the company uses can also show the candidate how mature the environment is.
- Attractive Glassdoor profile: One of the critical parts that is important for the employee when searching for a company is that the company has a good reputation and positive reviews from previous employees. This should reflect teamwork, your company's culture, and whether you offer a flexible work environment.
Benefits of Angular
Overall, there are benefits of working with Angular, both for the developer, as well as the company or client, and the whole work dynamics.
Scalability
Angular is intended to build large-scale enterprise web applications. In the first stage, it was designed to be used within Google inside projects, so scalability is first. The design patterns applied within Angular standardize its use and make managing, implementing, and scaling it much more manageable.
Modularity
Modules with Angular is an option that makes breaking down an application into smaller pieces that can be wrapped within logical boundaries; therefore, supporting DDD is easy. This can help improve code maintainability and SOA (Separation of Concerns).
DI (Dependency Injection)
Angular DI makes managing dependencies between components accessible and composes new functionality that can change at runtime.
Community and ecosystem
Angular has a large community of developers and maintainers alongside GDEs (Google Developer Experts). It also has a wide range of 3rd party tools and libraries. This can help developers find solutions to common problems easier.
Industries and uses of Angular
With its robust features and dynamic capabilities, Angular has become a cornerstone in various industries where web applications are pivotal in delivering efficient services and seamless user experiences.
Here are some worth mentioning:
Enterprise web applications
Angular is an excellent option for medium-to-large-size projects. Most big enterprise projects choose Angular as a framework for web app development because it's more opinionated and standardized.
Angular is used in eCommerce applications to build dynamic and interactive user interfaces.
Healthcare
Angular is used in healthcare applications to build patient portals, electronic health records (EHRs), and telemedicine platforms.
Finance and banking
Angular is most used in finance applications to build trading platforms, financial dashboards, etc. It's commonly used in the financial sector due to its security features and its support for real-time data updates.
So, as much as Angular is popular today, will it always be in demand in the coming years? Abdulrahman thinks so. His reason is that Angular is evolving so fast in the latest versions, especially after moving to the Ivy rendering engine in Angular 9.
"New features included in new versions will simplify the learning curve of Angular. Thus attracting more developers to learn about it. This includes signals that enhance the component rendering performance, reduce the dependency on RxJs, and lead to zoneless Angular applications, standalone components which omit the need for modules, etc."
Svenska
Dansk
Dutch
Deutsch
Français
Norsk
Suomi
