Scalable Angular Applications: Exploring Vertical Architectures | Manfred Steyer

In this tutorial, we will be exploring the concept of vertical architectures for building scalable Angular applications. Vertical architectures in Angular refer to the organization of a project’s codebase into distinct and self-contained feature modules, each representing a vertical slice of functionality.

By adopting a vertical architecture approach, developers can build applications that are more modular, maintainable, and scalable. This approach also helps to improve team collaboration and code reuse.

To demonstrate the concept of vertical architectures in Angular, we will create a simple Angular application with two feature modules: a users module and a products module. Each module will contain its own components, services, and routing configuration.

1. Setting Up a New Angular Project:

First, make sure you have Node.js and Angular CLI installed on your machine. If not, you can install them by running the following commands:

$ npm install -g @angular/cli

Next, create a new Angular project by running the following command:

$ ng new vertical-architectures

Navigate to the newly created project directory:

$ cd vertical-architectures

1. Creating Feature Modules:

To create the users module, run the following command:

$ ng generate module users

This command will create a new users module with a users.module.ts file. Repeat the same steps to create the products module:

$ ng generate module products

1. Creating Components:

Inside the users module, create a new user-list component by running the following command:

$ ng generate component users/user-list

Repeat the same steps to create a product-list component inside the products module:

$ ng generate component products/product-list

1. Creating Services:

Inside the users module, create a new user service by running the following command:

$ ng generate service users/user

Repeat the same steps to create a product service inside the products module:

$ ng generate service products/product

1. Routing Configuration:

In the app-routing.module.ts file, import the RouterModule and Routes modules. Define routes for the users and products modules:

import { RouterModule, Routes } from '@angular/router';
const routes: Routes = [
{ path: 'users', loadChildren: () => import('./users/users.module').then(m => m.UsersModule) },
{ path: 'products', loadChildren: () => import('./products/products.module').then(m => m.ProductsModule) },
{ path: '', redirectTo: '/users', pathMatch: 'full' }
];
@NgModule({
imports: [RouterModule.forRoot(routes)],
exports: [RouterModule]
})
export class AppRoutingModule {}

1. Implementing Lazy Loading:

To enable lazy loading of feature modules, modify the app.module.ts file by removing the users and products modules from the imports array and replacing them with the AppRoutingModule:

@NgModule({
declarations: [
AppComponent
],
imports: [
BrowserModule,
AppRoutingModule
],
providers: [],
bootstrap: [AppComponent]
})
export class AppModule { }

1. Testing the Application:

Start the Angular development server by running the following command:

$ ng serve

Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:4200 to view the application. You should see a list of users displayed in the user-list component.

In this tutorial, we have demonstrated how to implement vertical architectures for building scalable Angular applications. By organizing your project into feature modules and leveraging lazy loading, you can create applications that are modular, maintainable, and scalable. Additionally, this approach promotes code reuse and improves team collaboration.