Supercharge Your Web Apps by Adding Bootstrap to Angular

Hi there! If you build modern web applications, you‘ve likely heard about Bootstrap and Angular. These have quickly become essential tools for developers like yourself.

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But did you know combining them together unlocks even greater building capabilities?

In this guide, I‘ll demonstrate step-by-step how to integrate Bootstrap with Angular to supercharge your next web dev project!

Why Bootstrap and Angular are Taking Over

First, what makes them so popular?

Bootstrap is an open-source CSS framework. Angular is a TypeScript-based web app platform.

Here‘s why they rule the web dev landscape:

  • Bootstrap offers pre-built UI components that speed up development
  • Angular enhances interactivity and site/app performance
  • They have robust tools for rapid building and testing
  • Supported by Google, AWS, and millions of developers globally

Usage numbers reveal the amazing adoption:

  • Bootstrap: Used in over 27 million projects, making it the #1 CSS framework
  • Angular: Usage up 387% over last 5 years, with ~1.5 million developers

Clearly they provide immense value individually.

But together…that’s where the magic happens!

Why Add Bootstrap to Angular?

Integrating the two unlocks some killer advantages:

1. Faster UI/UX Development Cycles

Bootstrap Angular
UI components library Front-end app platform
Pre-built CSS/JS Feature rich
Quick prototyping Rapid rendering

With Bootstrap providing the interface components while Angular supercharges the interactivity and tooling, you get the best of both worlds accelerating development.

2. Consistent, Responsive Cross-Device Compatibility

Bootstrap’s grid system and device-optimized styling complements Angular’s adaptive rendering capabilities. You can build mobile/desktop apps faster without responsive conflicts.

3. Take Advantage of Existing Skills

Already know one framework? The integration allows easily leveraging that knowledge while tapping into the other’s strengths!

Convinced adding Bootstrap can level up your Angular apps? Read on then!

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Install Bootstrap in Angular

Let‘s walk through exactly how to install and start using Bootstrap in Angular.

Quick tip: I recommend following along by coding a sample project locally on your machine!

Step 1 – Generate New Angular App

Kick things off using Angular CLI:

ng new my-cool-app

This will scaffold a starter Angular project. The ng tool makes it super quick.

Once created, navigate into the my-cool-app directory.

Time to add Bootstrap!

Step 2 – Install Bootstrap Node Package

Run the following command:

npm install bootstrap

This downloads Bootstrap code so we can integrate it. Easy enough!

Step 3 – Import Bootstrap Assets

Next we‘ll want to link up the CSS and JavaScript.

Open the angular.json file and add the following:

“styles”: [
  “node_modules/bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css”,
  “src/styles.scss” 
],
“scripts”: [
 “node_modules/bootstrap/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js” 
]

This neatly imports both the stylesheet and scripts bundle so Bootstrap‘s components will display properly.

One more step…

Step 4 – Use Bootstrap Components

Now Bootstrap is ready to use in our Angular code!

Open app.component.html, remove the boilerplate markup, and try out: 

<nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light">
  ...
</nav>

<div class="alert alert-info">
  Bootstrap is now installed! 🎉
</div>

<button class="btn btn-success btn-lg">
  Super Button
</button>

With those CSS classes applied, Bootstrap will automatically style everything.

Step 5 – Launch your App

Run the dev server:

ng serve

You should see the starter page with Bootstrap styles and components applied!

Customize and expand components as you build out the app pages and functionality leveraging Angular capabilities.

Final Thoughts

That wraps up this guide on integrating Bootstrap‘s amazing UI toolbox into Angular apps!

We walked through:

  • Why they are extremely popular
  • Benefits of combining them
  • Installation steps tutorial
  • Usage examples

For more details, reference official documentation:

Soon you‘ll be shipping next-gen, responsive web apps at scale!

Now dive deeper building your Bootstrap + Angular coded dreams. 🚀

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