Explore the Top 30 Angular 20 New Features

1. Stable Signals, effect, linkedSignal, toSignal

Example: converting an Observable to a Signal using toSignal

import { signal, toSignal } from '@angular/core';
import { HttpClient } from '@angular/common/http';
import { OnInit, Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-user-data',
  template: `
    <div *ngIf="userSignal() as user">
      <h2>{{ user.name }}</h2>
      <p>{{ user.email }}</p>
    </div>
    <div *ngIf="!userSignal()">
      Loading…
    </div>
  `
})
export class UserDataComponent implements OnInit {
  private user$ = this.http.get<{ name: string; email: string }>('/api/user');
  userSignal = toSignal(this.user$, { initialValue: null });

  constructor(private http: HttpClient) {}
  ngOnInit() {
    // Optionally trigger something when user changes
  }
}

2. Zoneless Change Detection (Developer Preview)

Example: bootstrap without Zone.js

// main.ts
import { bootstrapApplication } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { AppComponent } from './app/app.component';
import { provideZonelessChangeDetection } from '@angular/core/runtimes'; // or correct import

bootstrapApplication(AppComponent, {
  providers: [
    provideZonelessChangeDetection()
  ]
});

And remove Zone.js from polyfills in angular.json.

3. Resource & httpResource APIs

Example: using httpResource to fetch data reactively

import { httpResource } from '@angular/core/resource';
import { signal } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-books-list',
  template: `
    <div *ngIf="booksResource.state === 'loading'">Loading books…</div>
    <div *ngIf="booksResource.state === 'error'">Error: {{ booksResource.error }}</div>
    <ul *ngIf="booksResource.state === 'success'">
      <li *ngFor="let book of booksResource.value">
        {{ book.title }}
      </li>
    </ul>
  `
})
export class BooksListComponent {
  search = signal('');
  booksResource = httpResource<{ title: string }[]>(() => ({
    url: '/api/books',
    params: { q: this.search() }
  }), { defaultValue: [] });
}

4. Incremental Hydration (SSR)

While full code might need SSR setup, here’s how you might mark parts for deferred hydration or use hydration controls.

// On server side and client side configuration
// Possibly using `@defer` in template (if supported) or via route config:

// example template
<div>
  <h1>Welcome</h1>
  @defer("hero-section")
    <app-hero-section></app-hero-section>
  @end
</div>

// OR configuration in routing
{
  path: 'home',
  loadComponent: () => import('./home/home.component'),
  renderMode: 'ssr',  // stable for SSR + hydration
  hydrationStrategy: 'interaction' // only hydrate on interaction
}

5. Modern Template Control Flow Syntax (@if, @for, etc.)

Example: Using @if / @for instead of *ngIf / *ngFor

@for(let item of items; track item.id)
  <div>{{ item.name }}</div>

@if(user.isLoggedIn)
  <button (click)="logout()">Logout</button>

Compared to older syntax using *ngFor / *ngIf.

6. Signal-Based Forms (Preview)

Example: Signal-based form control

import { signalFormControl, signalFormGroup, ValidationErrors, Validators } from '@angular/forms/signals';
import { signal } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-signup',
  template: `
    <form [formGroup]="signupForm()" (ngSubmit)="onSubmit()">
      <label>
        Username:
        <input [formControl]="signupForm().controls.username" />
      </label>
      <div *ngIf="signupForm().controls.username.errors?.required">
        Username is required
      </div>
      <button type="submit" [disabled]="signupForm().invalid">Sign Up</button>
    </form>
  `
})
export class SignUpComponent {
  signupForm = signalFormGroup({
    username: signalFormControl('', { validators: [Validators.required] })
  });

  onSubmit() {
    console.log('Form value:', this.signupForm().value);
  }
}

7. Template Expression Improvements (e.g. exponentiation, tagged templates)

Example: using the exponentiation operator and tagged template

Example: using the exponentiation operator and tagged template
<p>{{ 2 ** 10 }}</p>

<p>{{ translate`app.title` }}</p>

Where translate is a tagged template function for internationalization or template literals.

8. Standalone Components & Bootstrapping (reduced NgModule boilerplate)

Example: standalone component and bootstrap

import { Component } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-hello',
  standalone: true,
  template: `<h1>Hello standalone Angular 20!</h1>`
})
export class HelloComponent {}

import { bootstrapApplication } from '@angular/platform-browser';

bootstrapApplication(HelloComponent, {
  providers: []
});

9. Router Enhancements: Async Redirects, Route-level render mode

Example: using an async redirect in a route

import { Routes } from '@angular/router';

const routes: Routes = [
  {
    path: 'dashboard',
    loadComponent: () => import('./dashboard.component'),
    redirectTo: async () => {
      const loggedIn = await checkAuth();  // async function
      return loggedIn ? '/dashboard/home' : '/login';
    }
  }
];

And route config may now allow you to set renderMode: 'ssr' | 'csr' | 'prerender' per route.

10. Improved Diagnostics & Template Errors

Example: Angular CLI or your IDE will now catch more template mistakes:

• Using unused variables in templates

• Wrong property binding (wrong type)

• Misspelled input/event names

You may get errors like:

Template error: Property 'firstname' does not exist on type 'User'

And often suggestions on how to fix/rename.

11. Selectorless Components (experimental)

Example: selectorless component

import { Component, input, signal } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  standalone: true,
  template: `<h2>Child says: {{ message() }}</h2>`
})
export class ChildComponent {
  @input() message!: string;  // or input() based API
}

You can then use ChildComponent dynamically without explicitly referencing a selector.

12. Dynamic Component Creation Enhancements

Example: loadComponent & dynamic component usage

// route configuration
const routes = [
  {
    path: 'profile',
    loadComponent: () => import('./profile/profile.component')
  }
];

// elsewhere in component
import { ViewContainerRef } from '@angular/core';

@Component({ /* ... */ })
export class DashboardComponent {
  constructor(private vcr: ViewContainerRef) {}

  async showWidget() {
    const { WidgetComponent } = await import('./widget.component');
    this.vcr.createComponent(WidgetComponent);
  }
}

13. Improved Testing Runners (Jest / Vitest / Web Test Runner)

Example: Configuring Vitest

// vitest.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config';

export default defineConfig({
  test: {
    globals: true,
    environment: 'jsdom',
    include: ['src/**/*.spec.ts']
  }
});

Then ng test --runner=vitest (experimental support) in CLI.

14. Accessibility & ARIA Improvements

Example: improved default behavior

• Automatic aria-label on buttons when text is missing,

• prefers-reduced-motion support in Material design components

• Better default behavior in dialogs and overlays

<button mat-button [attr.aria-label]="iconName">   
  <mat-icon>{{ iconName }}</mat-icon>
</button>

15. Improved SSR & Streaming Support

Example: configuring SSR with incremental hydration

// in server module or SSR configuration
import { provideServerRendering } from '@angular/platform-server';

bootstrapApplication(AppComponent, {
  providers: [
    provideServerRendering({ withRoutes: true })
  ]
});

Use @defer blocks in templates to defer hydration.

16. Animated enter/leave APIs

Example: basic enter/leave animation

import { animate, style, transition, trigger } from '@angular/animations';

@Component({
  standalone: true,
  selector: 'app-fade',
  template: `
    <div *ngIf="show" @fadeInOut>Content appears/disappears</div>
    <button (click)="toggle()">Toggle</button>
  `,
  animations: [
    trigger('fadeInOut', [
      transition(':enter', [
        style({ opacity: 0 }),
        animate('300ms ease-in', style({ opacity: 1 }))
      ]),
      transition(':leave', [
        animate('300ms ease-out', style({ opacity: 0 }))
      ])
    ])
  ]
})
export class FadeComponent {
  show = false;
  toggle() { this.show = !this.show; }
}

17. Http Caching & Network Strategies with httpResource

Part of #3 above - using httpResource allows you to get caching, error, loading states automatically, etc.

18. Scroll Position Restoration & Resolver Improvements

Example: Router config with scroll position restoration

import { provideRouter, Route } from '@angular/router';

const routes: Route[] = [
  { path: 'home', component: HomeComponent },
  { path: 'profile', component: ProfileComponent, resolve: { data: ProfileResolver } }
];

bootstrapApplication(AppComponent, {
  providers: [
    provideRouter(routes, {
      scrollPositionRestoration: 'enabled',
    })
  ]
});

19. Security Enhancements (CSP, XSS defaults)

Example: configuring CSP headers & sanitizer

// In server / deployment config (e.g., Express or nginx), set header:
res.setHeader("Content-Security-Policy", "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' https://trusted.cdn.example.com;");

// In Angular component/template
// Use [innerHTML] via DomSanitizer with caution, rely on Angular's sanitization
import { DomSanitizer, SafeHtml } from '@angular/platform-browser';

@Component(/* ... */)
export class SafeHtmlComponent {
  constructor(private sanitizer: DomSanitizer) {}
  getSafeHtml(html: string): SafeHtml {
    return this.sanitizer.bypassSecurityTrustHtml(html);
  }
}

20. Improved DevTools & Chrome Performance Integration

Example:

When using Chrome DevTools with Angular DevTools, you will see signals, router state, and hydration status. No code snippet is needed, but in DevTools, you can inspect a signal and see which component depends on it.

21. llms.txt for GenAI & LLM Output Guidance

Example: Create an llms.txt file in your Angular project's root:

# llms.txt
// Provide guidelines for LLMs generating Angular code
// Use standalone components, signals, avoid NgModule boilerplate
UseStandaloneComponents
PreferSignals
NoZoneJS

22. Migration of Legacy APIs via ng update schematics

Example: Run

ng update @angular/core@20 @angular/cli@20

Inspect output, apply suggested migrations (signals, control-flow, template deprecations).

23. Enhanced Standalone Pipes

Angular 20 allows standalone pipes without requiring a module declaration. This makes them easily reusable across components.

import { Pipe, PipeTransform } from '@angular/core';

@Pipe({
  name: 'capitalize',
  standalone: true
})
export class CapitalizePipe implements PipeTransform {
  transform(value: string): string {
    return value.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + value.slice(1);
  }
}

Usage:

<p>{{ 'angular' | capitalize }}</p>

24. Improved Debugging with Angular DevTools 3

Angular 20 integrates seamlessly with Angular DevTools v3, offering real-time signal and zone tracking, plus memory snapshots.

Example (debugging signals):

import { signal } from '@angular/core';

const user = signal('Dipak');
user.set('Mohit'); // DevTools shows state transition live

25. Automatic Image Optimization

Angular 20 introduces native image optimization, automatically handling image compression, lazy loading, and responsive sizes.

<img ngSrc="assets/hero.png" width="600" height="400" priority />

This replaces manual optimization logic, automatically improving Lighthouse performance scores.

26. Built-in Dark Mode Support

Angular Material in Angular 20 adds automatic dark mode toggling via CSS variables.

@use '@angular/material' as mat;

@include mat.core();

$light-theme: mat.define-light-theme();
$dark-theme: mat.define-dark-theme();

@include mat.all-component-themes($light-theme);

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  @include mat.all-component-colors($dark-theme);
}

This adapts instantly to the user's system preferences.

27. New ng-template Input Binding

Angular 20 allows binding data directly to templates, reducing boilerplate.

<ng-template [ngTemplateContext]="{ name: 'Dipak' }" let-name>
  <p>Hello, {{ name }}!</p>
</ng-template>

No need for wrapping directives just to pass data into templates.

28. Simplified Custom Elements Creation

Now, you can export Angular components as native web components with just one line.

import { createCustomElement } from '@angular/elements';
import { MyCardComponent } from './my-card.component';
import { bootstrapApplication } from '@angular/platform-browser';

bootstrapApplication(MyCardComponent).then(appRef => {
  const el = createCustomElement(MyCardComponent, { injector: appRef.injector });
  customElements.define('my-card', el);
});

Angular components become reusable across frameworks like React or Vue.

29. Native Support for ESBuild Watch Mode

Angular 20’s build system supports fast incremental rebuilds using ESBuild’s new watch mode.

ng build --watch

The changes appear instantly during local development - no manual restarts required.

30. Improved Error Messages and Stack Traces

Angular 20 introduces human-readable error messages with direct links to documentation and source context.

Example:

// If a missing directive is detected:
Error: NG3002: 'app-header' is not a known element. 
See https://angular.io/errors/NG3002 for more info.

This saves hours of debugging by providing clear, actionable information.

Migrating a small app to Signals & httpResource

1. Upgrade packages

ng update @angular/cli @angular/core

2. Replace a BehaviorSubject-based data store with signals

Before (RxJS):

// store.service.ts
private _count = new BehaviorSubject<number>(0);
count$ = this._count.asObservable();
increment() { this._count.next(this._count.value + 1); }

After (Signals):

// store.service.ts
import { signal } from '@angular/core';
export const count = signal(0);
export function increment() { count.update(c => c + 1); }

3. Use httpResource for data fetching (experimental)

import { httpResource } from '@angular/core/resource';
const userId = signal(1);
const user = httpResource(() => `/api/users/${userId()}`);

4. Test and optionally enable zoneless in a branch — migrate incrementally.

Migration & Compatibility Notes

• Start small: migrate isolated features (components/pages) to Signals, convert a few stores, or adopt toSignal for specific streams.

• Zoneless is preview: don’t flip a large app to zoneless immediately in production; test in staging and use the migration schematics.

• Watch deprecations: v20 continues cleaning legacy APIs — run ng update and follow the automated migrations.

Why Angular 20 Matters

• Faster UX & SEO: incremental hydration + SSR improvements reduce TTI and improve search friendliness.

• Modern reactivity: Stable Signals simplify state, reduce RxJS overhead for simple cases, and result in smaller, faster change detection.

• Better DX: CLI and DevTools improvements reduce build time and mean time to debug

How we help enterprises migrate to Angular 20

At Sparkle Web, we:

We have helped teams reduce change-detection overhead and lower bundle sizes while improving DX and time-to-market.

Conclusion

Angular 20 brings exciting capabilities, but upgrading large apps requires planning: Signals adoption strategy, zoneless testing, SSR/hydration tuning, and template refactors. Sparkle Web specializes in migrating enterprise Angular apps safely:

• Free migration readiness assessment

• Incremental Signals / zoneless migration plan

• CI/CD, testing, and monitoring for upgraded apps

Ready to modernize your Angular apps with v20? Contact us for a migration assessment and roadmap.