Angular and Vercel: Deploying Angular Apps

In this tutorial, we will learn how to deploy Angular apps using Vercel. Angular is a popular JavaScript framework for building web applications, while Vercel is a cloud platform that provides serverless deployment for static websites and frontend applications. By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to deploy your Angular app to Vercel, set up a custom domain, enable SSL, and automate deployments using GitHub integration.

Introduction

What is Angular?

Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source framework for building web applications. It is maintained by Google and provides a comprehensive set of features for developing dynamic, robust, and scalable applications. Angular uses a component-based architecture and provides tools for managing state, routing, and data binding. It also offers a powerful CLI (Command Line Interface) for creating and managing Angular projects.

What is Vercel?

Vercel is a cloud platform designed to make it easy to deploy and host frontend applications. It provides serverless deployment for static websites and frontend applications, allowing you to focus on building your app without worrying about infrastructure. Vercel supports various frameworks and tools, including Angular, React, Vue.js, and Next.js. It offers features like custom domains, SSL certificates, and continuous deployment.

Setting Up Angular Project

To get started, we need to set up an Angular project.

Installing Angular CLI

Angular CLI is a command-line interface for creating and managing Angular projects. To install Angular CLI, open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command:

npm install -g @angular/cli

This will install Angular CLI globally on your system.

Creating a new Angular project

Once Angular CLI is installed, you can create a new Angular project by running the following command:

ng new my-angular-app

This will create a new directory named my-angular-app and generate the basic structure of an Angular project inside it.

Building Angular App

To build your Angular app, navigate to the project directory and run the following command:

ng build --prod

This will compile your Angular app and generate a production-ready build inside the dist directory. The --prod flag ensures that the build is optimized for production.

Creating components

In Angular, components are the building blocks of an application. They encapsulate the logic and UI of a specific part of your app. To create a new component, run the following command:

ng generate component my-component

This will generate a new component named my-component along with its template, styles, and test files. You can then use this component in your app by adding its selector to a parent component's template.

Defining routes

In Angular, routing is used to navigate between different views or pages of an application. To define routes in your Angular app, open the app-routing.module.ts file and add the following code:

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { Routes, RouterModule } from '@angular/router';
import { HomeComponent } from './home/home.component';
import { AboutComponent } from './about/about.component';

const routes: Routes = [
  { path: '', component: HomeComponent },
  { path: 'about', component: AboutComponent },
];

@NgModule({
  imports: [RouterModule.forRoot(routes)],
  exports: [RouterModule]
})
export class AppRoutingModule { }

In this code, we import the necessary modules and define an array of routes. Each route is an object with a path property that represents the URL and a component property that represents the component to be displayed when the URL matches the path. We then configure the routes using the RouterModule.forRoot() method and export the RouterModule module.

Implementing services

Services are used in Angular to share data or functionality between components. To create a new service, run the following command:

ng generate service my-service

This will generate a new service named my-service along with its test file. You can then use this service in your components by injecting it into their constructors.

Deploying Angular App to Vercel

Now that we have our Angular app ready, let's deploy it to Vercel.

Creating Vercel account

To deploy your Angular app to Vercel, you need to create a Vercel account. Go to the Vercel website (https://vercel.com/) and sign up for an account. Once you have an account, you can proceed to the next step.

Installing Vercel CLI

Vercel CLI is a command-line interface for deploying and managing projects on Vercel. To install Vercel CLI, open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command:

npm install -g vercel

This will install Vercel CLI globally on your system.

Configuring Vercel deployment

To configure the deployment of your Angular app to Vercel, navigate to the project directory and run the following command:

vercel

This will start the Vercel deployment wizard. Follow the prompts to configure your deployment. You will be asked to log in to your Vercel account, select the project directory, and choose the deployment settings. Once the configuration is complete, Vercel will deploy your app and provide you with a unique URL.

Custom Domain and SSL

To make your Angular app accessible through a custom domain and enable SSL, follow these steps.

Setting up custom domain

To set up a custom domain for your Angular app deployed on Vercel, go to the Vercel dashboard and select your project. Navigate to the "Settings" tab and click on "Domains". Enter your custom domain and click on "Add". Follow the instructions provided by Vercel to configure your DNS settings and point your domain to Vercel.

Enabling SSL

Vercel provides automatic SSL certificates for custom domains. Once your custom domain is set up, Vercel will automatically provision and renew SSL certificates for your domain. This ensures that your Angular app is served over HTTPS and is secure.

Continuous Deployment

To automate the deployment of your Angular app on Vercel whenever you push changes to your GitHub repository, follow these steps.

Setting up GitHub integration

To set up GitHub integration with Vercel, go to the Vercel dashboard and select your project. Navigate to the "Settings" tab and click on "Git". Click on "Set up Git integration" and follow the prompts to connect your GitHub account and select the repository for your Angular app.

Automating deployments

Once GitHub integration is set up, Vercel will automatically deploy your Angular app whenever you push changes to your GitHub repository. This allows you to focus on development and ensures that your app is always up to date.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we learned how to deploy Angular apps using Vercel. We started by setting up an Angular project and building the app. Then, we created components, defined routes, and implemented services in our app. Next, we deployed our Angular app to Vercel by creating a Vercel account, installing Vercel CLI, and configuring the deployment. We also learned how to set up a custom domain, enable SSL, and automate deployments using GitHub integration. By following these steps, you can easily deploy your Angular apps and take advantage of the powerful features provided by Vercel. Happy deploying!