As is the case with all technology eventually, AngularJS has now become legacy. The most recent version, currently on long term support is v1.8.x. Due to COVID-19, long term support has been extended an additional 6 months until December 31, 2021. This gives businesses running custom software that uses AngularJS a little over a year until the framework becomes end of life.

Why does this matter?

We've previously outlined the risks of running end of life software. To summarise the key risks include:

• Security threats,
• Poor performance,
• Outdated skills base,
• Incompatibility.

What options are available?

The first and most obvious option is to upgrade from AngularJS to Angular. There is a detailed guide on how to do this available on the Angular website. Some applications will be easier to upgrade than others. There are ways to help along the way. It is possible to prepare and align your AngularJS application with Angular before beginning the upgrade process.

We won't go into the nitty gritty of migrating an AngularJS application to Angular. As a software development company specialising in Angular, the tactics used generally depend on the individual circumstances. The key takeaway is that while migrating from AngularJS to Angular can be a complicated process, upgrading from Angular 9 to Angular 10 for example is far more straightforward. During this migration it's worth taking stock of your application. Is it still aligned to your business processes? Does it have performance issues? Is the user experience as good as it could be? It's a great opportunity to continuously modernise and keep your software ahead of the market.

If you are giving thought to moving to a new front end framework, we recommend looking into React.js. It was voted the most loved web framework in Stack Overflow’s yearly developer survey for 2019. Popularity is a pretty good indication that a framework will continue to be supported and that enough developers/development companies will have the necessary expertise.

So, if you do have an application built with AngularJS and it's due to become end of life, don't panic. There are options available to ensure you avoid the risks of running end of life software. If you want to discuss a migration path for your application, then don't hesitate to get in contact.