State Management in Angular- NgRx vs Signals
State management is a critical part of building robust Angular applications, especially as they grow in complexity. For years, NgRx has been the de facto solution for managing state in large-scale Angular apps. But with the recent introduction of Signals in Angular, developers now have a new, reactive way to handle state. In this article, we'll compare NgRx and Angular Signals, explore when to use each, and help you decide which is right for your next project.
What is NgRx?
NgRx is a state management library for Angular inspired by Redux. It uses a unidirectional data flow pattern and relies on actions, reducers, selectors, and effects to manage application state in a predictable and testable way.
Pros:
- Scales well for large applications
- Clear separation of concerns
- Mature ecosystem (e.g., NgRx Store, Effects, Entity, ComponentStore)
- Excellent for debugging with tools like the Redux DevTools
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve
- More boilerplate code
- Can be overkill for simple applications
What are Angular Signals?
Signals are a new reactive primitive introduced in Angular that make state changes explicit and trackable. Signals allow you to create reactive state variables without relying on RxJS Observables.
Pros:
- Minimal boilerplate
- Easy to understand and use
- Fine-grained reactivity without subscribing manually
- Ideal for component-level state
Cons:
- Still maturing (as of Angular 18)
- Lacks the structured patterns of NgRx for complex scenarios
- Might require custom patterns for larger apps
Comparison Table
| Feature | NgRx | Angular Signals |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Curve | High | Low |
| Boilerplate | High | Low |
| Debugging Tools | Excellent (DevTools) | Basic (console-based) |
| Suitability | Enterprise-scale apps | Small to medium-sized apps |
| Async Support | Built-in with Effects | Requires integration with RxJS |
| Structure/Conventions | Very structured | Flexible, unopinionated |
When to Use NgRx
- Your app is large and involves complex interactions
- You want strict separation of concerns
- You need powerful debugging and developer tooling
- You’re already familiar with Redux patterns
When to Use Signals
- Your app is small to medium-sized
- You want a quick and clean way to manage local/component state
- You’re building a greenfield project with Angular 16+
- You want less boilerplate and a more intuitive developer experience
Final Thoughts
Both NgRx and Signals have their place in modern Angular development. NgRx excels in large, enterprise-scale applications where structured state management is crucial. Angular Signals shine in smaller apps or for managing local state with minimal overhead.
Ultimately, the best tool is the one that fits your specific use case. With Signals continuing to evolve and gain ecosystem support, we may soon see hybrid approaches where Signals are used at the component level and NgRx at the app level.