1. Zoneless Change Detection with Signals
- Overview:
- Zoneless Change Detection: Eliminates reliance on Zone.js, reducing overhead and complexity.
- Signals: Introduces observables that trigger change detection on value change for more granular state management.
2. Function-based Route Redirects
- Overview:
- Dynamic Redirection: Allows route redirects using functions, enabling more flexible redirection based on conditions like user authentication.
3. Improved Developer Tooling
- Overview:
- Enhanced Angular DevTools: Provides better insights into application performance, dependency management, and state changes for more effective debugging.
4. Enhanced Angular Material and CDK
- Overview:
- Stability Updates: Ensures Angular Material and CDK are optimized and fully compatible with Angular 18.
5. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) Enhancements
- Overview:
- Event Replay: Mimics client-side behavior on the server, leading to a smoother user experience and improved SEO benefits.
6. Improved Internationalization (i18n) Support
- Overview:
- New @angular/localize Package: Simplifies translations and formatting for different locales, making global application development easier.
7. TypeScript 5.4 Support
- Overview:
- Full Compatibility: Leverage the latest features and improvements of TypeScript 5.4 in your Angular applications.
8. Additional Features
- Overview:
- Default Content in ng-content: Provides fallback content in ng-content projection.
- Improved Build Performance: Optimizes the build process for faster times.
- WebAssembly Support: Opens up new possibilities for performance optimization (developer preview).
Conclusion
Angular 18 introduces a range of new features and improvements, enhancing performance, developer experience, and flexibility in web application development. It’s a strong candidate for upgrading existing projects or starting new ones.
