Angular universal server side rendering with app

Angular Universal is a technology that allows Angular apps to be rendered on the server side. This is particularly useful for improving the performance of your application, especially its initial load time, and enhancing its SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because search engine crawlers can directly see the fully rendered page.

Here’s a basic overview of how to implement server-side rendering (SSR) in your Angular application using Angular Universal:

1. Installing Angular Universal

First, you need to add Angular Universal to your project. If you have an existing Angular application, you can add Universal by running the following command in your project’s root directory:

ng add @nguniversal/express-engine

This command does several things:

• Adds the necessary dependencies to your project.
• Creates a Node.js Express server to serve your Universal application.
• Configures your application to use server-side rendering.

2. Server-side App Module

Angular Universal requires a separate module for the server-side app, typically named app.server.module.ts. This module will use the ServerModule from @angular/platform-server. The ng add command usually takes care of setting up this module.

3. Server-side Rendering Script

The server-side rendering (SSR) script is a Node.js Express application that serves the Angular application. This script is typically located in the server.ts file. It compiles your application on the server and serves the static files.

4. Building and Serving the Application

To build both the client and server parts of your application, you will typically use a command like:

npm run build:ssr

And to serve your application, you can use:

npm run serve:ssr

These commands build the application for production (both the browser and server), and then start the Express server to serve your Universal application.

5. Optimizing and Deploying

After setting up Angular Universal, you may need to optimize your application for server-side rendering. This might involve:

• Making sure all external calls (e.g., HTTP requests) are compatible with server-side rendering.
• Using Angular Universal’s TransferHttpCacheModule to cache HTTP requests.
• Avoiding direct manipulation of the DOM since it’s not available on the server.

Finally, you’ll want to deploy your Universal application to a server. This typically involves setting up a Node.js server that can run your Express application, and then deploying your compiled Angular application to this server.

Angular Universal Benefits

• Improved Performance: Faster initial page loads, which can improve user experience and retention.
• SEO Friendly: Since the application is rendered on the server, search engine crawlers can see the fully rendered page, which can improve your site’s SEO.
• Facilitates Social Sharing: Metadata and other social media tags can be rendered server-side, which is essential for sharing content on social media platforms.

Angular Universal is a powerful tool for improving the performance and SEO of your Angular applications. While it adds a layer of complexity to your application’s deployment, the benefits can be substantial, especially for content-driven and high-traffic applications.