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March 22, 2024

AngularJS vs. EmberJS: Key Differences and Use Cases

AngularJS

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If you're using EOL AngularJS and looking to migrate to a different framework to develop client-side applications, EmberJS may have come across your radar. In this blog comparing AngularJS vs. EmberJS, we consider features, architecture, use cases, and more to help you understand where they overlap and what the key differences are. 

Table of Contents

  1. Comparing AngularJS vs. EmberJS
  2. AngularJS vs. EmberJS: Key Differences
  3. AngularJs vs. Ember.js: Use Case Comparison
  4. Final Thoughts
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Comparing AngularJS vs. EmberJS

AngularJS and EmberJS are both open source JavaScript frameworks used in front-end (or client-side) development. When comparing the two, it's important to remember that AngularJS is end-of-life, so it's no longer supported and there will be no new releases, bug fixes, or patches provided by the community.   

What Is AngularJS?

AngularJS is an open source JavaScript framework which provides functionality for building single-page applications. The first stable release of AngularJS came out in 2010. 

What Is EmberJS?

EmberJS is an open source JavaScript framework used for the development of single-page and scalable applications. The first version of EmberJS was released in 2011. 

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AngularJS vs. EmberJS: Key Differences

The main difference between AngularJS vs. EmberJS is that AngularJS is easier to learn and ideal for single-page applications, whereas EmberJS is better for larger-scale projects and more complex mobile and desktop applications. 

Keep reading for a side-by-side comparison of other features.

Architecture

AngularJS follows the MVC architecture, dividing the application into three components: Model, View, and Controller. Two-way data binding is supported, which means any modification in the user interface automatically updates the underlying data model and vice versa. This streamlines code synchronization and reduces repetitive code.

EmberJS follows the MVVM (Model-View-View-Model) architecture, and prioritizes the division of responsibilities. It gives developers a set of conventions to cut down on configuration overhead, freeing them up to concentrate on creating features instead of setup. Additionally, two-way data binding is used by EmberJS to streamline smooth synchronization between the view and the underlying data.

Components

AngularJS makes reusable components by utilizing directives and extending the HTML syntax. With AngularJS, it is easy to compose reusable HTML syntax that utilizes the semantics of code in an straightforward way. 

EmberJS uses a widget-based model for components. The Handlebars layout used in EmberJS simplifies the process for composing HTML tags and breaking down HTML into smaller segments. However, components in EmberJS cannot be reused, making directives in AngularJS more powerful.

Modules

AngularJS utilizes the modular concept to manage comprehensible code and to decouple the services. Common modules available with AngularJS are the Controller and Application modules. The Application module is used to initialize an application with a controller, while the Controller module is used to establish the controller.

EmberJS does not support the traditional modular approach. Instead, it utilizes Routers, Templates, Models, and Components:

  • Routers are used for managing the URLs. The router integrates the actual URL to the route, which is used to load data, display the templates, and setup the application state. 
  • Templates provide a robust UI for the end users and help to automatically update the model as soon as the content of applications gets modified.
  • The model is the pure class that extends the functionality of the Ember data.
  • The component manages the UI operation.

Data Binding

AngularJS supports both one-way and two-way data binding. This makes it easier to build rich, cross-platform web applications. While EmberJS supports one-way data binding, two-way data binding is encouraged in the documentation. 

Dependencies 

AngularJS does not contain any kind of dependency; EmberJS depends on both Handlebars and jQuery.

Template Languages and Other Notable Features

AngularJS uses HTML as a template language and can express different components of a web application by extending the HTML syntax. Dependency Injection (DI) is another key AngularJS feature that enhances testability; with DI, functionality and services may be easily mocked.

EmberJS has both HTML and CSS at the core of its development model. It also comes with the Ember Inspector tool for debugging Ember applications. 

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AngularJs vs. Ember.js: Use Case Comparison

AngularJS is much easier to get started with, especially if you are not very familiar with JavaScript. With AngularJS, you can easily build and test robust, single-page web applications due to features like directives, data binding, and dependency injection (DI). This is why there are still many sites and apps built on AngularJS even though it reached end-of-life more than two years ago.

EmberJS is extremely useful for larger scale projects and high traffic applications. It's also more suitable for full stack development because it has test runner functionality and auto-reload capabilities, and enables quick rebuilds. If you need to create very complex mobile and desktop applications, EmberJS could be a solid option. 

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Final Thoughts

The learning curve for EmberJS is a bit steep, and though it has been around for almost as long as AngularJS, it has a relatively small community. Still, EmberJS has some major enterprise adopters including LinkedIn and Netflix. 

The 2024 State of Open Source Report revealed that more than 20% of large enterprises still have EOL AngularJS. Some of those organizations have third-party support in place to provide patches for CVEs, but the majority (68%) do not. If you are looking to migrate off AngularJS and considering other open source frameworks, take a look at our guide to AngularJS alternatives, which includes head-to-head comparisons to ReactJS, VueJS, and Angular. 

 

Additional Resources

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Ashish Modi

Enterprise Architect, OpenLogic by Perforce

Ashish is an Enterprise Architect with 19 years of experience in technology leadership, solution design, performance analysis, optimization and tuning, architecture & design review, software development, and strategic planning and delivery. He has experience in Java, open source, databases, Microsoft, and cloud technologies and has worked on large scale, time-sensitive platforms used for eCommerce, media delivery, analytics, mobile and internet banking, treasury, LMS, LOS and OSS/BSS applications. He has handled performance analysis, optimization, tuning, engineering and architecture review of business-critical and complex applications.