What is the difference between angular-route and angular-ui-router?

javascript

routing

angular-ui-router

angular-route

byNikita Barsukov·Dec 18, 2024

The main difference lies in their handling of routing. angular-route is tailored for simple URL-based routing where it matches URLs to templates/controllers. On the other hand, angular-ui-router is fostered for state-based routing, enabling you to structure your UI as a state machine rather than just URL mappings. It supports nested views, multiple named views, and complex nested states, offering an advantage when crafting complex UI structures.

angular-route example:

app.config($routeProvider => {
  // home is where the heart is
  $routeProvider.when('/home', {templateUrl: 'home.html'}).otherwise({redirectTo: '/home'});
});

angular-ui-router example:

app.config($stateProvider => {
  // home is where the WiFi connects automatically
  $stateProvider.state('home', {url: '/home', templateUrl: 'home.html'}).state('about', {url: '/about', views: {'@': {templateUrl: 'about.html'}});
});

For a minimal setup or when the app's routing needs are basic, angular-route is your go-to. However, for complex UI projects that need intricate UI elements and advanced state management, angular-ui-router would be a better choice.

Additional functionalities with ui-router

angular-ui-router excels, especially when routes require dynamism. The ability to generate states dynamically based on the URL accessed or event occurrence makes ui-router a smart choice for apps requiring such flexibility.

Say your app has features specific to various user roles, ui-router simplifies the process to load states dynamically according to user roles. A feature not readily available with angular-route.

Managing complex application states

As apps grow, managing their state could turn convoluted. ui-router offers strongly-typed linking between states, thus making state management more resilient to errors and easy to handle. It allows devs to ascertain a state or the state's parent seamlessly to adjust the UI elements accordingly.

Enhancing angular-route

If you wish to stick with angular-route, but your app requires nested views, angular-route-segment comes to the rescue by supplementing ngRoute with nested view capabilities. This means you get to have the cake (angular-route) and eat it too (nested views)!

Transition: angular-route to ui-router

Should you switch between angular-route and ui-router as your app scales? This is worth considering. Early evaluation of your growing app can spare you future headaches. If your app's features and complexity are scaling, it may be a good idea to assess if angular-ui-router could serve your needs better.

Deciding what to use

Selecting angular-route or angular-ui-router depends entirely on your project needs. angular-route is perf for low complexity, smaller-scale apps with straightforward routing requirements.

However, if your project is a large-scale application or one that boasts of complex UI structures that could benefit from nested views and enhanced func, angular-ui-router would be the more suited one. It's vital to get a good grasp of your project requirements before choosing.

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