@ Angular Expert

Master modern Angular development with Signals, Standalone Components, Zoneless applications, SSR/Hydration, and the latest reactive patterns.

@ When to Use This Skill

Building new Angular applications (v20+)
Implementing Signals-based reactive patterns
Creating Standalone Components and migrating from NgModules
Configuring Zoneless Angular applications
Implementing SSR, prerendering, and hydration
Optimizing Angular performance
Adopting modern Angular patterns and best practices

@ never Use This Skill When

Migrating from AngularJS (1.x) → use angular-migration skill
Working with legacy Angular apps that cannot upgrade
General TypeScript issues → use typescript-expert skill

@ Instructions

Assess the Angular version and project structure
Apply modern patterns (Signals, Standalone, Zoneless)
Implement with proper typing and reactivity
Validate with build and tests

@ Safety

Always test changes in development before production
Gradual migration for existing apps (don't big-bang refactor)
Keep backward compatibility during transitions

@ Angular Version Timeline

Version; Release; Key Features

Angular 20; Q2 2025; Signals stable, Zoneless stable, Incremental hydration Angular 21; Q4 2025; Signals-first default, Enhanced SSR Angular 22; Q2 2026; Signal Forms, Selectorless components

@ 1. Signals: The New Reactive Primitive

Signals are Angular's fine-grained reactivity system, replacing zone.js-based change detection.

@ Core Concepts

import { signal, computed, effect } from "@angular/core";

// Writable signal
const count = signal(0);

// Read value
console.log(count()); // 0

// Update value
count.set(5); // Direct set
count.update((v) => v + 1); // Functional update

// Computed (derived) signal
const doubled = computed(() => count() * 2);

// Effect (side effects)
effect(() => {
  console.log(`Count changed to: ${count()}`);
});

@ Signal-Based Inputs and Outputs

import { Component, input, output, model } from "@angular/core";

@Component({
  selector: "app-user-card",
  standalone: true,
  template: `
    <div class="card">
      <h3>{{ name() }}</h3>
      <span>{{ role() }}</span>
      <button (click)="select.emit(id())">Select</button>
    </div>
  `,
})
export class UserCardComponent {
  // Signal inputs (read-only)
  id = input.required<string>();
  name = input.required<string>();
  role = input<string>("User"); // With default

  // Output
  select = output<string>();

  // Two-way binding (model)
  isSelected = model(false);
}

// Usage:
// <app-user-card [id]="'123'" [name]="'John'" [(isSelected)]="selected" />

@ Signal Queries (ViewChild/ContentChild)

import {
  Component,
  viewChild,
  viewChildren,
  contentChild,
} from "@angular/core";

@Component({
  selector: "app-container",
  standalone: true,
  template: `
    <input #searchInput />
    <app-item *ngFor="let item of items()" />
  `,
})
export class ContainerComponent {
  // Signal-based queries
  searchInput = viewChild<ElementRef>("searchInput");
  items = viewChildren(ItemComponent);
  projectedContent = contentChild(HeaderDirective);

  focusSearch() {
    this.searchInput()?.nativeElement.focus();
  }
}

@ When to Use Signals vs RxJS

Use Case; Signals; RxJS

Local component state; ✅ Preferred; Overkill Derived/computed values; ✅ computed(); combineLatest works Side effects; ✅ effect(); tap operator HTTP requests; ❌; ✅ HttpClient returns Observable Event streams; ❌; ✅ fromEvent, operators Complex async flows; ❌; ✅ switchMap, mergeMap

@ 2. Standalone Components

Standalone components are self-contained and don't require NgModule declarations.

@ Creating Standalone Components

import { Component } from "@angular/core";
import { CommonModule } from "@angular/common";
import { RouterLink } from "@angular/router";

@Component({
  selector: "app-header",
  standalone: true,
  imports: [CommonModule, RouterLink], // Direct imports
  template: `
    <header>
      <a routerLink="/">Home</a>
      <a routerLink="/about">About</a>
    </header>
  `,
})
export class HeaderComponent {}

@ Bootstrapping Without NgModule

// main.ts
import { bootstrapApplication } from "@angular/platform-browser";
import { provideRouter } from "@angular/router";
import { provideHttpClient } from "@angular/common/http";
import { AppComponent } from "./app/app.component";
import { routes } from "./app/app.routes";

bootstrapApplication(AppComponent, {
  providers: [provideRouter(routes), provideHttpClient()],
});

@ Lazy Loading Standalone Components

// app.routes.ts
import { Routes } from "@angular/router";

export const routes: Routes = [
  {
    path: "dashboard",
    loadComponent: () =>
      import("./dashboard/dashboard.component").then(
        (m) => m.DashboardComponent,
      ),
  },
  {
    path: "admin",
    loadChildren: () =>
      import("./admin/admin.routes").then((m) => m.ADMIN_ROUTES),
  },
];

@ 3. Zoneless Angular

Zoneless applications don't use zone.js, improving performance and debugging.

@ Enabling Zoneless Mode

// main.ts
import { bootstrapApplication } from "@angular/platform-browser";
import { provideZonelessChangeDetection } from "@angular/core";
import { AppComponent } from "./app/app.component";

bootstrapApplication(AppComponent, {
  providers: [provideZonelessChangeDetection()],
});

@ Zoneless Component Patterns

import { Component, signal, ChangeDetectionStrategy } from "@angular/core";

@Component({
  selector: "app-counter",
  standalone: true,
  changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
  template: `
    <div>Count: {{ count() }}</div>
    <button (click)="increment()">+</button>
  `,
})
export class CounterComponent {
  count = signal(0);

  increment() {
    this.count.update((v) => v + 1);
    // No zone.js needed - Signal triggers change detection
  }
}

@ Key Zoneless Benefits

Performance: No zone.js patches on async APIs
Debugging: Clean stack traces without zone wrappers
Bundle size: Smaller without zone.js (~15KB savings)
Interoperability: Better with Web Components and micro-frontends

@ 4. Server-Side Rendering & Hydration

@ SSR Setup with Angular CLI

ng add @angular/ssr

@ Hydration Configuration

// app.config.ts
import { ApplicationConfig } from "@angular/core";
import {
  provideClientHydration,
  withEventReplay,
} from "@angular/platform-browser";

export const appConfig: ApplicationConfig = {
  providers: [provideClientHydration(withEventReplay())],
};

@ Incremental Hydration (v20+)

import { Component } from "@angular/core";

@Component({
  selector: "app-page",
  standalone: true,
  template: `
    <app-hero />

    @defer (hydrate on viewport) {
      <app-comments />
    }

    @defer (hydrate on interaction) {
      <app-chat-widget />
    }
  `,
})
export class PageComponent {}

@ Hydration Triggers

Trigger; When to Use

on idle; Low-priority, hydrate when browser idle on viewport; Hydrate when element enters viewport on interaction; Hydrate on first user interaction on hover; Hydrate when user hovers on timer(ms); Hydrate after specified delay

@ 5. Modern Routing Patterns

@ Functional Route Guards

// auth.guard.ts
import { inject } from "@angular/core";
import { Router, CanActivateFn } from "@angular/router";
import { AuthService } from "./auth.service";

export const authGuard: CanActivateFn = (route, state) => {
  const auth = inject(AuthService);
  const router = inject(Router);

  if (auth.isAuthenticated()) {
    return true;
  }

  return router.createUrlTree(["/login"], {
    queryParams: { returnUrl: state.url },
  });
};

// Usage in routes
export const routes: Routes = [
  {
    path: "dashboard",
    loadComponent: () => import("./dashboard.component"),
    canActivate: [authGuard],
  },
];

@ Route-Level Data Resolvers

import { inject } from '@angular/core';
import { ResolveFn } from '@angular/router';
import { UserService } from './user.service';
import { User } from './user.model';

export const userResolver: ResolveFn<User> = (route) => {
  const userService = inject(UserService);
  return userService.getUser(route.paramMap.get('id')!);
};

// In routes
{
  path: 'user/:id',
  loadComponent: () => import('./user.component'),
  resolve: { user: userResolver }
}

// In component
export class UserComponent {
  private route = inject(ActivatedRoute);
  user = toSignal(this.route.data.pipe(map(d => d['user'])));
}

@ 6. Dependency Injection Patterns

@ Modern inject() Function

import { Component, inject } from '@angular/core';
import { HttpClient } from '@angular/common/http';
import { UserService } from './user.service';

@Component({...})
export class UserComponent {
  // Modern inject() - no constructor needed
  private http = inject(HttpClient);
  private userService = inject(UserService);

  // Works in any injection context
  users = toSignal(this.userService.getUsers());
}

@ Injection Tokens for Configuration

import { InjectionToken, inject } from "@angular/core";

// Define token
export const API_BASE_URL = new InjectionToken<string>("API_BASE_URL");

// Provide in config
bootstrapApplication(AppComponent, {
  providers: [{ provide: API_BASE_URL, useValue: "https://api.example.com" }],
});

// Inject in service
@Injectable({ providedIn: "root" })
export class ApiService {
  private baseUrl = inject(API_BASE_URL);

  get(endpoint: string) {
    return this.http.get(`${this.baseUrl}/${endpoint}`);
  }
}

@ 7. Component Composition & Reusability

@ Content Projection (Slots)

@Component({
  selector: 'app-card',
  template: `
    <div class="card">
      <div class="header">
        <!-- Select by attribute -->
        <ng-content select="[card-header]"></ng-content>
      </div>
      <div class="body">
        <!-- Default slot -->
        <ng-content></ng-content>
      </div>
    </div>
  `
})
export class CardComponent {}

// Usage
<app-card>
  <h3 card-header>Title</h3>
  <p>Body content</p>
</app-card>

@ Host Directives (Composition)

// Reusable behaviors without inheritance
@Directive({
  standalone: true,
  selector: '[appTooltip]',
  inputs: ['tooltip'] // Signal input alias
})
export class TooltipDirective { ... }

@Component({
  selector: 'app-button',
  standalone: true,
  hostDirectives: [
    {
      directive: TooltipDirective,
      inputs: ['tooltip: title'] // Map input
    }
  ],
  template: `<ng-content />`
})
export class ButtonComponent {}

@ 8. State Management Patterns

@ Signal-Based State Service

import { Injectable, signal, computed } from "@angular/core";

interface AppState {
  user: User | null;
  theme: "light" | "dark";
  notifications: Notification[];
}

@Injectable({ providedIn: "root" })
export class StateService {
  // Private writable signals
  private _user = signal<User | null>(null);
  private _theme = signal<"light" | "dark">("light");
  private _notifications = signal<Notification[]>([]);

  // Public read-only computed
  readonly user = computed(() => this._user());
  readonly theme = computed(() => this._theme());
  readonly notifications = computed(() => this._notifications());
  readonly unreadCount = computed(
    () => this._notifications().filter((n) => !n.read).length,
  );

  // Actions
  setUser(user: User | null) {
    this._user.set(user);
  }

  toggleTheme() {
    this._theme.update((t) => (t === "light" ? "dark" : "light"));
  }

  addNotification(notification: Notification) {
    this._notifications.update((n) => [...n, notification]);
  }
}

@ Component Store Pattern with Signals

import { Injectable, signal, computed, inject } from "@angular/core";
import { HttpClient } from "@angular/common/http";
import { toSignal } from "@angular/core/rxjs-interop";

@Injectable()
export class ProductStore {
  private http = inject(HttpClient);

  // State
  private _products = signal<Product[]>([]);
  private _loading = signal(false);
  private _filter = signal("");

  // Selectors
  readonly products = computed(() => this._products());
  readonly loading = computed(() => this._loading());
  readonly filteredProducts = computed(() => {
    const filter = this._filter().toLowerCase();
    return this._products().filter((p) =>
      p.name.toLowerCase().includes(filter),
    );
  });

  // Actions
  loadProducts() {
    this._loading.set(true);
    this.http.get<Product[]>("/api/products").subscribe({
      next: (products) => {
        this._products.set(products);
        this._loading.set(false);
      },
      error: () => this._loading.set(false),
    });
  }

  setFilter(filter: string) {
    this._filter.set(filter);
  }
}

@ 9. Forms with Signals (Coming in v22+)

@ Current Reactive Forms

import { Component, inject } from "@angular/core";
import { FormBuilder, Validators, ReactiveFormsModule } from "@angular/forms";

@Component({
  selector: "app-user-form",
  standalone: true,
  imports: [ReactiveFormsModule],
  template: `
    <form [formGroup]="form" (ngSubmit)="onSubmit()">
      <input formControlName="name" placeholder="Name" />
      <input formControlName="email" type="email" placeholder="Email" />
      <button [disabled]="form.invalid">Submit</button>
    </form>
  `,
})
export class UserFormComponent {
  private fb = inject(FormBuilder);

  form = this.fb.group({
    name: ["", Validators.required],
    email: ["", [Validators.required, Validators.email]],
  });

  onSubmit() {
    if (this.form.valid) {
      console.log(this.form.value);
    }
  }
}

@ Signal-Aware Form Patterns (Preview)

// Future Signal Forms API (experimental)
import { Component, signal } from '@angular/core';

@Component({...})
export class SignalFormComponent {
  name = signal('');
  email = signal('');

  // Computed validation
  isValid = computed(() =>
    this.name().length > 0 &&
    this.email().includes('@')
  );

  submit() {
    if (this.isValid()) {
      console.log({ name: this.name(), email: this.email() });
    }
  }
}

@ 10. Performance Optimization

@ Change Detection Strategies

@Component({
  changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
  // Only checks when:
  // 1. Input signal/reference changes
  // 2. Event handler runs
  // 3. Async pipe emits
  // 4. Signal value changes
})

@ Defer Blocks for Lazy Loading

@Component({
  template: `
    <!-- Immediate loading -->
    <app-header />

    <!-- Lazy load when visible -->
    @defer (on viewport) {
      <app-heavy-chart />
    } @placeholder {
      <div class="skeleton" />
    } @loading (minimum 200ms) {
      <app-spinner />
    } @error {
      <p>Failed to load chart</p>
    }
  `
})

@ NgOptimizedImage

import { NgOptimizedImage } from '@angular/common';

@Component({
  imports: [NgOptimizedImage],
  template: `
    <img
      ngSrc="hero.jpg"
      width="800"
      height="600"
      priority
    />

    <img
      ngSrc="thumbnail.jpg"
      width="200"
      height="150"
      loading="lazy"
      placeholder="blur"
    />
  `
})

@ 11. Testing Modern Angular

@ Testing Signal Components

import { ComponentFixture, TestBed } from "@angular/core/testing";
import { CounterComponent } from "./counter.component";

describe("CounterComponent", () => {
  let component: CounterComponent;
  let fixture: ComponentFixture<CounterComponent>;

  beforeEach(async () => {
    await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
      imports: [CounterComponent], // Standalone import
    }).compileComponents();

    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(CounterComponent);
    component = fixture.componentInstance;
    fixture.detectChanges();
  });

  it("should increment count", () => {
    expect(component.count()).toBe(0);

    component.increment();

    expect(component.count()).toBe(1);
  });

  it("should update DOM on signal change", () => {
    component.count.set(5);
    fixture.detectChanges();

    const el = fixture.nativeElement.querySelector(".count");
    expect(el.textContent).toContain("5");
  });
});

@ Testing with Signal Inputs

import { ComponentFixture, TestBed } from "@angular/core/testing";
import { ComponentRef } from "@angular/core";
import { UserCardComponent } from "./user-card.component";

describe("UserCardComponent", () => {
  let fixture: ComponentFixture<UserCardComponent>;
  let componentRef: ComponentRef<UserCardComponent>;

  beforeEach(async () => {
    await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
      imports: [UserCardComponent],
    }).compileComponents();

    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(UserCardComponent);
    componentRef = fixture.componentRef;

    // Set signal inputs via setInput
    componentRef.setInput("id", "123");
    componentRef.setInput("name", "John Doe");

    fixture.detectChanges();
  });

  it("should display user name", () => {
    const el = fixture.nativeElement.querySelector("h3");
    expect(el.textContent).toContain("John Doe");
  });
});

@ Best Practices Summary

Pattern; ✅ Do; ❌ Don't

State; Use Signals for local state; Overuse RxJS for simple state Components; Standalone with direct imports; Bloated SharedModules Change Detection; OnPush + Signals; Default CD everywhere Lazy Loading; @defer and loadComponent; Eager load everything DI; inject() function; Constructor injection (verbose) Inputs; input() signal function; @Input() decorator (legacy) Zoneless; Enable for new projects; Force on legacy without testing

@ Resources

Angular.dev Documentation
Angular Signals Guide
Angular SSR Guide
Angular Update Guide
Angular Blog

@ Common Troubleshooting

Issue; Solution

Signal not updating UI; Ensure OnPush + call signal as function count() Hydration mismatch; Check server/client content consistency Circular dependency; Use inject() with forwardRef Zoneless not detecting changes; Trigger via signal updates, not mutations SSR fetch fails; Use TransferState or withFetch()

@ Limitations

Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
never treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.