Difference Between Angular and Knockout with example

Angular is a framework and Knockout is a JavaScript library that offers assistance to make wealthy and responsive web UI intelligent. Knockout may be a library that interfaces parts of the UI to information demonstrating utilizing revelatory ties. The same can be said of Angular, which is where the disarray comes from. The basic distinction between the two arrangements is that Angular oversees the complete application and characterizes rules on how the application code ought to be organized, while with Knockout the application structure is completely up to you.

Angular and Knockout are JavaScript frameworks for building web applications, but they have different philosophies, features, and use cases. Here's a comparison between Angular and Knockout and examples to illustrate their differences.

Angular

Overview:

Developed and maintained by Google.
A complete framework for building single-page applications (SPAs).
Uses TypeScript as its primary language.
Includes a powerful data binding system, dependency injection, routing, and more.
Follows a component-based architecture.

Example:

Let's create a simple Angular application that displays a list of items and allows the user to add a new item.

Set up Angular new project:

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en" data-ng-app="todoApp">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
    <title>AngularJS Todo List</title>
    <link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.3/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" integrity="sha384-QWTKZyjpPEjISv5WaRU9OFeRpok6YctnYmDr5pNlyT2bRjXh0JMhjY6hW+ALEwIH" crossorigin="anonymous">
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap-icons@1.11.3/font/bootstrap-icons.min.css">
  </head>
  <body>
    
    <div class="container my-4" data-ng-controller="TodoController as todoCtrl">
        <h1 class="text-center">Todo List</h1>
        <form data-ng-submit="todoCtrl.addTask()" class="row g-3">
            <div class="col-12">
                <input type="text" data-ng-model="todoCtrl.newTask" placeholder="Add a new task" class="form-control" />
            </div>
            <div class="col-12">
                <button class="btn btn-primary" type="submit"> 
                    <span class="ms-1">
                        <i class="bi bi-plus-circle-dotted"></i>
                    </span> 
                    <span>Add Task</span>
                </button>
            </div>
        </form>
        <div class="table-responsive my-3">
            <table class="table">
                <thead>
                    <tr>
                      <th><i class="bi bi-circle"></i></th>
                      <th scope="col">#</th>
                      <th scope="col">Task</th>
                      <th scope="col">Date</th>
                      <th scope="col">Action</th>
                    </tr>
                  </thead>
                  <tbody class="table-group-divider">
                    <tr data-ng-repeat="task in todoCtrl.tasks">
                      <th ng-class="{'bg-success-subtle': task.iscomplete}">
                        <i class="bi bi-circle" ng-if="!task.iscomplete"></i>
                        <i class="bi bi-check2-circle text-success" ng-if="task.iscomplete"></i>
                      </th>
                      <th scope="row" ng-class="{'bg-success-subtle': task.iscomplete}">
                        <span ng-if="!task.iscomplete">{{$index + 1}}</span>
                        <s ng-if="task.iscomplete"><strong>{{$index + 1}}</strong></s>
                      </th>
                      <td ng-class="{'bg-success-subtle': task.iscomplete}">
                        <span ng-if="!task.iscomplete">{{ task.name }}</span>
                        <s ng-if="task.iscomplete"><strong>{{ task.name }}</strong></s>
                      </td>
                      <td ng-class="{'bg-success-subtle': task.iscomplete}">
                        <span ng-if="!task.iscomplete">{{ task.time }}</span>
                        <s ng-if="task.iscomplete"><strong>{{ task.time }}</strong></s>
                      </td>
                      <td ng-class="{'bg-success-subtle': task.iscomplete}">
                        <button class="btn btn-link " data-ng-hide="task.iscomplete" data-ng-click="todoCtrl.completeTask($index)">Complete</button>
                        <button class="btn btn-link " data-ng-click="todoCtrl.removeTask($index)">Remove</button>
                      </td>
                    </tr>
                  </tbody>
            </table>
          </div>

    </div>


    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.3.3/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js" 
    integrity="sha384-YvpcrYf0tY3lHB60NNkmXc5s9fDVZLESaAA55NDzOxhy9GkcIdslK1eN7N6jIeHz" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>


    <!-- Angurr JS CDN  -->
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/angular.js/1.8.3/angular.min.js" 
                integrity="sha512-KZmyTq3PLx9EZl0RHShHQuXtrvdJ+m35tuOiwlcZfs/rE7NZv29ygNA8SFCkMXTnYZQK2OX0Gm2qKGfvWEtRXA==" 
                crossorigin="anonymous" referrerpolicy="no-referrer">
    </script>
    <script src="app.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>

Knockout

Overview:

Developed by Steve Sanderson.
A lightweight library focusing on MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) patterns.
Primarily used for data binding and UI updates.
Uses plain JavaScript and declarative bindings.

Example:

Let's create a similar application with Knockout that displays a list of items and allows the user to add a new item.

Include Knockout.js in your HTML file:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Knockout Example</title>
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/knockout/3.5.1/knockout-min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <div>
        <h1 data-bind="text: title"></h1>
        <ul data-bind="foreach: items">
            <li data-bind="text: $data"></li>
        </ul>
        <input data-bind="value: newItem, valueUpdate: 'input'" placeholder="Add new item">
        <button data-bind="click: addItem">Add</button>
    </div>

    <script>
        function AppViewModel() {
            this.title = ko.observable('Knockout Example');
            this.items = ko.observableArray(['Item 1', 'Item 2', 'Item 3']);
            this.newItem = ko.observable('');

            this.addItem = () => {
                if (this.newItem()) {
                    this.items.push(this.newItem());
                    this.newItem('');
                }
            };
        }

        ko.applyBindings(new AppViewModel());
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Key Differences

Architecture:

Angular: Follows a component-based architecture and is a full-fledged framework offering a complete solution for building SPAs.
Knockout: Focuses on the MVVM pattern and is a lightweight library primarily for data binding.

Language:

Angular: Primarily uses TypeScript, which is a superset of JavaScript.
Knockout: Uses plain JavaScript.

Features:

Angular: Includes a wide range of built-in features such as dependency injection, routing, forms, HTTP client, etc.
Knockout: Primarily focuses on data binding and observable properties.

Learning Curve:

Angular: Steeper learning curve due to its comprehensive nature and the use of TypeScript.
Knockout: Easier to learn, especially for those already familiar with JavaScript.

Community and Ecosystem:

Angular: Larger community and ecosystem with extensive resources, libraries, and third-party tools.
Knockout: Smaller community and ecosystem, but still actively maintained and used.

Angular	Knockout
AngularJS is consistent with plain objects. This can be watches factors with messy checking strategy for making beyond any doubt that an expression assessed each time is compared to current protest values with past question values.	KnockoutJS Advancement Benefit suppliers make utilize of the discernible design. The reason, it is for following changes and informing enrolled clients in this respect.
Angular features is a test system known as Protractor.	Knockout does not have testable code.
Exceptionally broad documentation which makes a learning obstruction. It does not have utility strategies.	Documentation is well organized which gives a more learning bend with concepts.
Angular is framework.	Knockout is a Javascript library.
Angular is a full fledged framework.	knockout is just data binding mechanism.
If you want to interact with view in better way with AJAX[provides ajax services].	If you are more concerned about View Interaction withOUT AJAX[does not provide AJAX services].

In summary, Angular is a full-featured framework suitable for building complex and large-scale applications, while Knockout is a simpler library ideal for smaller projects that require efficient data binding. The choice between them depends on the specific needs and complexity of your project.

What are computed observables in Knockout.js?

How does data binding work in Knockout.js?

Creating a Repository Pattern in Angular

AngularJS Expressions and Modules

Data Binding in AngularJS