AngularJS v/s Node JS – The Open-Source JavaScript based Technologies

JavaScript has evolved from being a simple client-side scripting language into an incredibly powerful programming language over the years. AngularJS and Node JS are both widely used open sources of JavaScript based technologies. Node JS has a cross-platform runtime environment whereas AngularJS is a simple JavaScript framework.

JavaScript is used as a server-side programming language wherein the NodeJS programmers can build server-side applications. Both AngularJS and Node JS differ from each other in terms of functionality, architecture, usage, and performance.

What is Node JS?

To run JS applications outside the browser, Node JS acts as a cross-platform environment and library. Server-side JS applications can be created by using this open-source and free tool.

These applications are written only in JavaScript and are run within the Node JS runtime on Microsoft Windows and Linux. To simplify the web development process, this framework offers a rich library of various JS modules.

What is AngularJS?

To develop dynamic web applications, the structural framework of AngularJS is used. The template language used is HTML and its syntax is used to express the application’s components with clarity yet briefly.

The primary goal of this full-featured JS framework is simplification. HTML enables the creation of dynamic web apps based on the Model View Controller architectural pattern, as it is a client-side JavaScript framework.

Comprehending differences across categories

Architectural Core

As a web application development network, AngularJS was created by Google. Angular is written completely in JavaScript, unlike its other counterpart frameworks. It follows all the JS syntax rules when applied.

On the other hand, Node JS is based on Google's V8 JS engine that was developed as a cross-platform runtime environment. JS, C, and C++ were the three programming languages in which Node JS was written and has a JRE for Java, Adobe Flash player for ActionScript, common language runtime for .net programs, or Android runtime for Android apps.

Web Framework

AngularJS is a web framework unlike Node JS. This web framework can be used to automate common development tasks while developing a variety of applications when you hire dedicated developers in India such as web applications, websites, and web application frameworks.

Node JS cannot be used as a web framework by the JS programmers but there is a wide range of Node JS based frameworks that they use such as Hapi.JS, Socket.io, Meteor.JS, Sails.JS, and Express.JS.

Installation on various Platforms

Node JS applications can be written in JavaScript by the app developers. However, within the runtime environment, the applications need to run on various platforms such as Linux, Windows, and macOS.

While creating the development environment, Node JS must be installed on their computer system by the software developers. On the other hand, AngularJS need not be installed on their computer systems if you hire dedicated Angular developers. Just like other JS files, they can embed the AngularJS files in the code base.

Differing Features

MVC architectural pattern is supported both by AngularJS and Node JS. But a different set of features encompass each of the two JS based technologies. HTML becomes the template language for programmers while using AngularJS. They can even extend the HTML syntax to express the various components of a web application.

By providing features like scope, data binding, templates, filters, routing, dependency injection, and deep linking AngularJS simplifies the development of dynamic and single page web applications.

To build network and server-side applications, the developers can use Node JS as a server-side framework that provides an array of features required by the developers. To simplify the development of video streaming sites, single-page websites, and similar I/O intensive web applications, the programmers can avail the exquisite features provided by Node JS.

While improving code execution speed drastically, Node JS helps developers use a single-threaded event mechanism and asynchronous APIs. The web applications can also deliver data in chunks without buffering if Node JS is used by the developers.

Data Binding

AngularJS supports two-way data binding in addition to implementing MVC architectural pattern in a different way. View components can be synchronized automatically with bidirectional data binding which keeps data between a web application’s models. But for writing database queries, AngularJS has no provisional feature.

To generate database queries in JavaScript, programmers use Node JS. For non-relational databases like CouchDB and MongoDB, it becomes easier for the programmers to create database queries by overcoming syntactical differences.

Programming Paradigm

In addition to JavaScript, both AngularJS and Node JS support several programming languages. AngularJS supports TypeScript, Coffee Script, and Dart whereas Node JS supports Coffee Script, TypeScript, and Ruby.

Commonly used programming paradigms are supported by both JS based technologies. Event driven and object-oriented programming paradigm are supported by AngularJS while Node JS supports functional, object-oriented, concurrency-oriented, event-driven, and sub/pub programming paradigms.

Wide Usage

For building client side and single web applications, JS developers use AngularJS. The programmers can write real-time and interactive applications with the features provided by this web framework.

App development can be simplified in a WYSIWYG way through an Angular declarative approach. The developers can define what they want, and AngularJS will take care of the dependencies instead of spending time on what will be loaded first or how the program will flow.

Which is Faster?

To build scalable and fast server side and networking applications, Node JS is widely used by the programmers. Even the applications that require real-time collaborative editing or drawing can be built by the programmers with the features provided by this cross-platform runtime environment.

Node is useful in situations when something more scalable or faster is needed whereas AngularJS helps in creating real-time applications like chat apps or instant messaging. Views and models in AngularJS are much simpler than other JS client-side frameworks whereas Node uses the event driven nature of JS to support non-blocking operations, making this platform more efficient.

AngularJS is based on the model-view-controller pattern and embraces it completely while Node is single-threaded, meaning the web requests are run and processed on the same thread.

The Ideal Language

Developers can focus on learning one language if they use JavaScript on the server as well as the client using Node JS. On the other hand, AngularJS needs the understanding, scope, and prototyping of various other JS aspects.

Along with Express JS and MongoDB, both Node JS and AngularJS can be used as the two primary components of the MEAN software stack. AngularJS is an ideal language for creating highly interactive apps whereas Node is used to develop small size projects.

Which is better?

In a nutshell, Node JS is a cross platform runtime environment whereas AngularJS is a client-side framework. To simplify the development of isomorphic applications, the JS developers can integrate both AngularJS and Node JS.

Both the JS platforms are targeted at building web applications using JavaScript. They are the two advanced, high-performing, and widely used frameworks by dedicated developers all over the world. However, both differ in their working and architecture, so one should select their framework as per the project need at hand.