Angular CLI vs Angular Material : What are the differences?

Angular CLI vs Angular Material

Introduction: In web development, Angular CLI and Angular Material are two popular tools used to enhance the efficiency and functionality of Angular applications. While Angular CLI is a command-line interface for generating, managing, testing, and deploying Angular projects, Angular Material provides a set of UI components and styles that follow the Material Design guidelines. Here are the key differences between Angular CLI and Angular Material:

1. Generating vs Designing UI: One of the primary differences between Angular CLI and Angular Material is their purpose. Angular CLI focuses on the generation and management of Angular projects, including commands for creating components, services, and modules, while Angular Material focuses on designing and implementing a visually appealing and consistent user interface using predefined Material Design components and styles.

2. Tool vs Library: Angular CLI is a development tool, primarily used for setting up and managing Angular projects. It provides a command-line interface to streamline the development workflow, automate tasks, and optimize the build process. On the other hand, Angular Material is a library that provides ready-to-use UI components such as buttons, inputs, dialogs, and icons following the Material Design principles.

3. Command Execution vs Component Integration: Angular CLI allows developers to run commands to perform various actions related to the development process, such as generating code, running tests, serving the application, and building the project for production deployment. Angular Material, on the other hand, focuses on integrating its UI components into the application, providing developers with an extensive collection of pre-built components that they can use and customize as per their requirements.

4. Code Generation vs Styling: Angular CLI offers functionality to generate boilerplate code for different parts of an Angular application, such as components, services, directives, and modules. It helps developers to scaffold the initial project structure and generate code quickly. In contrast, Angular Material focuses on providing styled UI components that are consistent with the Material Design guidelines, allowing developers to easily implement a modern and visually appealing user interface without spending a lot of time on styling and design.

5. Project Setup and Configuration vs UI Customization: Angular CLI assists developers in initializing a new Angular project, setting up the build tools, configuring dependencies, and managing the project's overall structure. It provides a standardized project setup to ensure consistency across different Angular applications. Angular Material, however, focuses on providing a set of UI components that developers can customize and use to build a visually appealing and interactive user interface, while still following the Material Design guidelines.

6. Developers Workflow vs User Experience: Angular CLI primarily caters to the developer workflow by providing commands and tools to streamline the development process. It helps developers in managing dependencies, configuring build processes, and automating common tasks. On the other hand, Angular Material focuses on enhancing the user experience by providing a library of UI components that are visually appealing, responsive, and follow the Material Design principles, which contribute to a seamless and consistent user interface.

In Summary, Angular CLI is a tool used for generating and managing Angular projects, while Angular Material is a library that provides pre-built UI components following the Material Design guidelines to enhance the visual appeal and user experience of Angular applications.