Major Features in Angular v16

  1. Signals (Developer Preview)
    • Introduced Angular Signals, a new reactivity model for state management.
    • Provides fine-grained reactivity similar to frameworks like SolidJS.
    • Helps reduce unnecessary change detection cycles and improves performance.
    • Works seamlessly with existing Angular features (components, templates, etc.).
  2. Hydration for Server-Side Rendering (SSR)
    • Added non-destructive hydration support.
    • Angular apps rendered on the server can now be hydrated on the client without re-rendering the entire DOM.
    • Improves First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Time to Interactive (TTI).
  3. Required Inputs
    • New @Input({ required: true }) decorator option.
    • Ensures that required inputs are passed when using a component.
    • Improves type safety and developer experience.
  4. Standalone APIs Improvements
    • Continued push towards standalone components (no need for NgModule).
    • Router and HttpClient now support standalone APIs out of the box.
    • Simplifies application structure and reduces boilerplate.
  5. Improved Dependency Injection with inject()
    • inject() function can now be used in more places (like route guards, resolvers, and interceptors).
    • Makes DI more flexible and tree-shakable.
  6. Enhanced Performance
    • Optimized reactivity with Signals.
    • Better SSR hydration.
    • Reduced memory usage and faster builds.
  7. Experimental Jest Support
    • Angular CLI added experimental support for Jest as a test runner.
    • Provides faster and more modern testing experience compared to Karma/Jasmine.
  8. ESBuild + Vite Integration (Experimental)
    • Angular CLI started experimenting with esbuild and Vite for faster builds and dev server.
    • Aimed at improving developer experience and build performance.

✅ In summary:
The biggest highlight of Angular 16 is the introduction of Signals (new reactivity model) and hydration for SSR, along with continued improvements for standalone APIs and performance.

Excellent follow-up! 🚀 Angular v17 (released November 2023) was another huge milestone — in fact, it’s considered one of the biggest Angular releases in years.

Here are the major features and improvements in Angular 17:

Major Features in Angular v17

1. New Control Flow Syntax (Built-in)

  • Angular introduced a new, modern control flow syntax in templates:
    • @if / @else
    • @for (replaces *ngFor)
    • @switch / @case / @default
  • These are faster, more ergonomic, and type-safe compared to the old structural directives.
  • Example: 
    @if (user) {
  <h2>Hello </h2>
} @else {
  <h2>Please log in</h2>
}

<ul>
  @for (item of items; track item.id) {
    <li></li>
  }
</ul>

2. Deferrable Views (@defer)

  • New @defer block allows lazy loading of template parts.
  • Great for performance optimization (e.g., load heavy components only when needed).
  • Example: 
    @defer (on viewport) {
  <app-heavy-widget />
} @placeholder {
  <p>Loading widget...</p>
}
  • Triggers: on viewport, on interaction, on hover, on idle, etc.

3. Built-in Control Flow & Deferrable Views are Stable

  • These features are stable and production-ready in v17 (not experimental anymore).

4. New Angular CLI with Vite + esbuild

  • Angular CLI now uses Vite (for dev server) and esbuild (for builds).
  • Benefits:
    • ⚡️ Much faster builds & HMR (Hot Module Replacement).
    • Simpler, modern toolchain.
  • Still supports Webpack for backward compatibility.

5. Improved SSR & SSG

  • Angular Universal now supports hybrid rendering:
    • SSR (Server-Side Rendering) + SSG (Static Site Generation) in the same app.
  • Better hydration performance (building on v16’s hydration work).

6. Signals Improvements

  • Signals (introduced in v16) got deeper framework integration.
  • Router, forms, and other Angular APIs are being updated to work seamlessly with Signals.

7. Docs & Learning Experience

  • Angular team launched a completely redesigned documentation site with interactive tutorials and modern guides.
  • Much easier for beginners and advanced devs alike.

✅ Summary

Angular v17 is a transformational release:

  • New template syntax (@if, @for, @switch) → cleaner, faster, type-safe.
  • Deferrable views (@defer) → built-in lazy loading for templates.
  • Vite + esbuild in CLI → faster builds & HMR.
  • SSR + SSG improvements.
  • Signals integration continues to expand.
  • New docs for better learning.

Perfect timing 😃 — Angular v18 was released in May 2024, and it continues the modernization journey that started with v16 and v17.

Here’s a breakdown of the major features in Angular v18:

Major Features in Angular v18

1. Stable Zoneless Change Detection

  • Angular now officially supports running without Zone.js (zoneless mode).
  • This was experimental in earlier versions, but in v18 it’s stable.
  • Benefits:
    • Faster change detection.
    • More predictable reactivity (especially with Signals).
    • Smaller bundle size (no Zone.js dependency if you opt out).

2. Signals Deep Integration

  • Signals (introduced in v16, improved in v17) are now deeply integrated into Angular’s core APIs:
    • Forms API: Reactive forms now support Signals.
    • Router: Route parameters and data can be exposed as Signals.
    • Component Inputs: Inputs can be bound directly to Signals.
  • This makes Angular’s reactivity model consistent and fine-grained.

3. Material 3 (MDC) Updates

  • Angular Material fully embraces Material Design 3.
  • Includes:
    • Updated components with M3 design tokens.
    • Dynamic color theming.
    • Better accessibility and responsiveness.

4. Improved SSR & Hydration

  • Hydration (introduced in v16, improved in v17) is now default and more robust.
  • Better support for streaming SSR and partial hydration.
  • Hybrid rendering (SSR + SSG) continues to improve.

5. CLI & Tooling Enhancements

  • Vite + esbuild are now the default build and dev server pipeline (Webpack is still supported for migration).
  • Faster HMR (Hot Module Replacement).
  • Better DX (developer experience) with simplified configs.

6. New Developer Tools

  • Angular DevTools updated to support Signals debugging.
  • Better profiling for zoneless apps.

7. Deprecations & Cleanup

  • Some legacy APIs are being deprecated in favor of Signals and modern APIs.
  • Continued push towards standalone components (NgModules are optional, not required).

✅ Summary of Angular v18

  • Zoneless change detection is stable → no more mandatory Zone.js.
  • Signals everywhere → forms, router, inputs, and more.
  • Material 3 → modern UI with dynamic theming.
  • SSR + Hydration improvements → faster, more efficient rendering.
  • Vite + esbuild default → modern, fast build pipeline.
  • Better DevTools → Signals-aware debugging.

👉 So, if we look at the evolution:

  • v16 → Signals (preview), hydration (preview).
  • v17 → New template syntax (@if, @for, @defer), Vite/esbuild (experimental).
  • v18 → Zoneless stable, Signals everywhere, Vite/esbuild default, Material 3.

v19, v20

seems no major feature.