Angular11 min read

Angular Components: Building Reusable UI

Master Angular components - the building blocks of Angular applications. Learn component lifecycle, data binding, event handling, and component communication. Essential for Angular development.

Lisa Anderson
December 18, 2025
0.0k0

Components are the heart of Angular applications. Everything you build is a component. Understanding components deeply is essential for building great Angular apps.

What are Components?

Components combine template (HTML), styles (CSS), and class (TypeScript) to create reusable UI pieces. Each component has its own scope and can communicate with other components through inputs and outputs.

Component Lifecycle

Angular components go through lifecycle hooks - ngOnInit, ngOnChanges, ngAfterViewInit, and more. Understanding these hooks lets you perform actions at the right time, like fetching data or cleaning up.

Data Binding

Angular provides powerful data binding - property binding, event binding, two-way binding with ngModel. This connects your component class to the template, making dynamic UIs easy.

Component Communication

Components communicate through @Input and @Output, services, or parent-child relationships. Understanding these patterns is crucial for building maintainable applications.

Best Practices

I'll show you how to structure components, when to create new components, and how to make them reusable. These patterns will make your code cleaner and more maintainable.

#Angular#Components#Data Binding#Lifecycle

Common Questions & Answers

Q1

How do Angular components work?

A

Angular components are TypeScript classes decorated with @Component that define template, styles, and logic. They have lifecycle hooks (ngOnInit, ngOnDestroy, etc.), use data binding to connect class to template, and communicate via @Input/@Output decorators. Components are the building blocks of Angular apps.

typescript
import { Component, Input, Output, EventEmitter, OnInit } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-user-card',
  template: `
    <div>
      <h2>{{ user.name }}</h2>
      <p>{{ user.email }}</p>
      <button (click)="onClick()">Click Me</button>
    </div>
  `,
  styles: [`
    div {
      padding: 20px;
      border: 1px solid #ccc;
    }
  `]
})
export class UserCardComponent implements OnInit {
  @Input() user: any;
  @Output() clicked = new EventEmitter<void>();
  
  ngOnInit() {
    console.log('Component initialized');
  }
  
  onClick() {
    this.clicked.emit();
  }
}
Q2

What are Angular component lifecycle hooks?

A

Lifecycle hooks are methods Angular calls at specific points in component lifecycle: ngOnChanges (when inputs change), ngOnInit (after first change detection), ngAfterViewInit (after view initialization), ngOnDestroy (before destruction). Use them for initialization, cleanup, and reacting to changes.

typescript
import { Component, OnInit, OnDestroy, OnChanges, SimpleChanges } from '@angular/core';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-example',
  template: '<div>{{ data }}</div>'
})
export class ExampleComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, OnDestroy {
  @Input() data: string;
  
  ngOnChanges(changes: SimpleChanges) {
    // Called when input properties change
    if (changes.data) {
      console.log('Data changed:', changes.data.currentValue);
    }
  }
  
  ngOnInit() {
    // Called once after first ngOnChanges
    console.log('Component initialized');
  }
  
  ngOnDestroy() {
    // Called before component is destroyed
    console.log('Component destroying, cleanup here');
  }
}