Tips to Upgrade Your Angular Application Effectively!

#angular #upgrade #node #nvm

One task you may not do every day, but will eventually face as an Angular Developer, is updating your Angular application's version. At first glance, it may seem simple — especially since the official documentation provides a step-by-step guide.

However, that guide won’t cover everything you’ll encounter during a real-world migration. In this post, I’ll share key tips to help you upgrade your Angular project more efficiently and avoid common pitfalls.

Use Git Strategically

Before starting any migration, it's essential to have a solid Git workflow. I recommend using a Git Flow strategy:

Keep your main branch stable and production-ready.
Create a dedicated migration branch (e.g., migration/angular-17).
Every time changes are approved on main, merge them into your migration branch to keep it up to date.

This allows you to work on the upgrade without affecting production and gives you full control over the process.

Manage Node Versions with NVM

Using NVM (Node Version Manager) is highly recommended, as it lets you switch Node versions quickly and easily.

Why does this matter?

Because each Angular version has specific Node version requirements, and using an incompatible version may lead to compilation or runtime errors.

If you can’t install NVM, you’ll need to manually uninstall and reinstall the correct Node version.

Check the official compatibility chart here:

👉 Angular Compatibility Table

Check External Dependency Versions

A very common issue when updating Angular is overlooking the compatibility of external dependencies.

Here’s what you should do:

Open your package.json and review both dependencies and devDependencies.
For each package, go to npmjs.com and verify whether the installed version is compatible with the Angular version you are migrating to.
You’ll usually find compatibility details in the library’s README or its GitHub repository.

This step may be tedious, but it’s essential to ensure a smooth and stable migration.

Watch for Breaking Changes in External Packages

Even if your dependencies are version-compatible with the new Angular version, you might still run into errors during compilation or execution.

Why?

Because some packages may have introduced API changes, renamed methods, or altered function signatures in newer versions.

🔍 The fix: Check the official documentation of each dependency for breaking changes or updated usage examples. Make sure your code aligns with the correct implementation for the Angular version you're using.

Conclusión

Upgrading an Angular application is not a trivial task. Depending on your project’s complexity and the number of third-party dependencies, it can take days, weeks, or even months.

So here’s my advice: