A Comprehensive Guide to Angular Migration 2026

Common Angular Update Practices

Use the following best practices when updating a version:

1. Make incremental upgrades

Steer clear of moving between major versions at once. Rather, update one significant version at a time.

• Test each step after completing it.
• Resolve problems right away
• Cascade mistakes are decreased as a result.

2. Make use of the official Angular CLI commands

Always use: ng update @angular/core @angular/cli. The suggested code changes are automatically applied by Angular schematics.

3. Continue to Provide Extensive Test Coverage

Make sure unit tests pass before updating.

• Execute integration tests.
• Check the E2E fluxes.
• Your safety net is testing.

4. Verify compatibility with dependencies

Typical problems are caused by: Inconsistencies in angular materials

• Version clashes with NgRx
• Incompatibility with third-party UI libraries
• Verify peer dependency criteria at all times.

5. Get rid of outdated APIs

Before eliminating APIs, Angular deprecates them. Clean deprecated lifecycle hooks on a regular basis.

• Older RxJS operators
• Outdated configuration flags

Migration Roadmap (Step-by-Step Plan)

No Angular migration can be successful without proper planning, risk control, technical feasibility, and diligent execution. The following is a guide for best practices, as seen with enterprise teams doing Angular migration.

1. Assessment phase

The assessment phase is where the determined complexity of the migration project is clarified. This step is often skipped, mistakenly leading to smaller than predicted scopes and to failures.

Current Version Audit

• Identify the current Angular version (ng version)
• Identify versions for Node.js, Typescript & RxJS
• Evaluate Angular CLI configuration
• Identify custom build tools (e.g., custom webpack, SSR, etc.).

Assess and analyze the structure of the package. json dependency stream

This sketch will illustrate the number of major versions that require migration and the compatibility hurdles that must be resolved.

Identifying Deprecated Dependencies

• Determine if there are any deprecated Angular APIs
• Identify any outdated 3rd-party libraries (e.g., Angular Material, NgRx, UI kit, etc.)
• Validate the peer dependency.
• Check vulnerability from npm audit

Blocked migrations are primarily caused by outdated libraries.

Review Architecture

Evaluate module structure (monolithic versus feature-based)

• Analyze the lazy loading strategy
• Check the design of the routing
• Inspect the design of state management
• Discover areas of technical debt

This phase identifies whether the project only requires a straightforward version upgrade or whether more extensive architectural refactoring is needed.

2. Planning Phase

Planning turns technical findings into a delineated plan of action.
Define Migration Scope

Clarify:

• Is it a version-only update? 
• Does it include AngularJS to Angular migration? 
• Are standalone components going to be used? 
• Will there be a new testing framework? 
• Is SSR/hydration included? 

A well-defined scope helps to limit scope creep. 

• Choose Incremental or Hybrid Strategy
• Incremental strategy: Upgrade one major version at a time. 
• Hybrid strategy: Run legacy AngularJS in parallel with new Angular using bridging techniques. 
• The right choice is determined by project size, risk appetite, and business deadlines.

Estimate Timeline

Take into consideration:

• The size of the codebase
• Experience of the team
• Complexity of dependencies
• Percentage of existing test coverage
• Amount of existing tech debt
• Need for refactoring

The risk of a migration drastically increases in the absence of a plan. 

3. Environment Preparation

The more recent versions of Angular require new tooling.

•  Upgrade Node & TypeScript
• Make sure it is compatible with the target version of Angular. A lot of migration failures occur because of version mismatches.
• Setting Up CI Pipeline Adjustments
• Change Node Version on CI/CD
• Adjusting build scripts?    
• Ensuring alignment of environment variables
• Assessing Docker setup (if applicable)

A malfunctioning pipeline can cause considerable delays in deployment.  

Versioning in Steps

Establish Versioning Steps:

• Update your Angular CLI
• Update your core Angular packages
• Major version (x.0.0) increment (test every version)
• Make changes, run the complete test suite, and address the breaking changes
• Avoid skipping multiple major version changes  

Modernization of Architecture

While migrating is the best time to refurbish the architecture:

• Switch to standalone components instead of NgModules
• Refactor to use a signal-based approach
• Unify lazy loading implementation
• Remove outdated services
• Reorganize your folders
• Apply domain-driven design

 Don't limit yourself to upgrading; use the opportunity to streamline your approach  

Testing

It’s essential to validate every step of the migration. Testing reduces the risk of going to production:

• Unit Testing
• Integration Testing
• End-to-End (E2E) Testing
• Regression Testing

 Manual Testing (QA) on Business Critical Paths

Evaluation of Performance

Post migration, performance ought to improve:

• Bundle size compared
• Lighthouse scoring analyzed
• Change detection performance tested
• Evaluation of SSR hydration
• Memory usage assessed

Overall performance should improve, not regress.

8. Deployment & Monitoring  

Post-migration:  

• Deploy to staging first  
• Monitor logs and errors  
• Assess performance metrics  
• Validate user flows  

Have a rollback strategy  

Planning a migration is essential, while the risk from unplanned migrations is significant; structured execution minimizes risk.

Final Thoughts on Successful Angular Migration

Angular migration is not just a technical upgrade but a strategic modernization of security, performance, scalability, and maintainability for the long run. Companies that hold off on migrating to newer Angular technologies, such as standalone components, signal-based reactivity, improved SSR, and quicker build systems, will build up technical debt, security risks, and poor architecture. A clear migration plan will revamp legacy systems and digital services to be more competitive. Partnering with Digisoft Solutions can help ensure a smooth and structured migration process.