Angular Multi-Version Upgrade Orchestrator

An enterprise-grade, intelligent multi-step upgrade orchestrator that safely migrates Angular applications across multiple major versions (12→13→14→...→20) by performing incremental upgrades, validating each step, handling breaking changes systematically, and ensuring zero functionality loss throughout the entire upgrade journey.

🚀 Key Highlights

✅ Enterprise-Ready: Battle-tested on production applications
✅ Zero Downtime: Maintains functionality during upgrades
✅ Official Migrations: Integrates all Angular CLI migrations
✅ Smart Rollback: Granular checkpoint system
✅ Third-Party Support: Handles Angular Material, NgRx, PrimeNG+
✅ TypeScript AST: Precise code transformations

Features

Core Capabilities

• Multi-Version Orchestration: Seamlessly upgrade through multiple Angular versions in sequence
• Intelligent Path Planning: Automatically determines the optimal upgrade path from current to target version
• Zero Functionality Loss: Prioritizes maintaining existing functionality over modernization
• Comprehensive Rollback System: Full application snapshots at each major version milestone
• Breaking Change Management: Systematic handling of breaking changes with automated fixes
• Third-Party Library Coordination: Synchronized updates for Angular Material, NgRx, PrimeNG, and more

Advanced Features

• Checkpoint System: Create restoration points at each upgrade milestone
• AST-Based Code Transformations: Precise code modifications using TypeScript AST
• Multi-Layer Compatibility: Allow old and new patterns to coexist during transitions
• Progressive Enhancement: Opt-in modernization without breaking existing functionality
• Comprehensive Validation: Build, test, and runtime validation at each step

Quick Start

Installation

npm install -g ng-upgrade-orchestrator

Basic Usage

# Analyze your project
ng-upgrade analyze

# Upgrade to Angular 17
ng-upgrade upgrade --target 17

# Show upgrade plan without executing
ng-upgrade upgrade --target 20 --dry-run

# Conservative upgrade strategy
ng-upgrade upgrade --target 16 --strategy conservative

Interactive Mode

ng-upgrade upgrade

The CLI will guide you through:

1. Target version selection
2. Upgrade strategy configuration
3. Validation level settings
4. Confirmation and execution

Upgrade Strategies

Conservative Mode

• Maximum Safety: Minimal changes per version
• Compatibility First: Preserves all existing patterns
• Manual Opt-in: New features require explicit adoption
• Extensive Validation: Comprehensive testing at each step

Balanced Mode (Default)

• Moderate Modernization: Strategic updates with compatibility layers
• Smart Defaults: Sensible choices for most applications
• Gradual Enhancement: Progressive adoption of new features
• Balanced Validation: Essential checks with optional comprehensive testing

Progressive Mode

• Advanced Features: Enables cutting-edge Angular capabilities
• Modern Patterns: Migrates to latest best practices
• Performance Optimized: Leverages newest optimization features
• Future Ready: Prepares codebase for upcoming versions

CLI Commands

Upgrade Command

ng-upgrade upgrade [options]

Options:
  -t, --target <version>     Target Angular version (12-20)
  -p, --path <path>          Project path (default: current directory)
  -s, --strategy <strategy>  conservative|balanced|progressive (default: balanced)
  --dry-run                  Show upgrade plan without executing
  --no-backup                Skip automatic backup creation
  --validation <level>       basic|comprehensive (default: basic)

Analysis Command

ng-upgrade analyze [options]

Options:
  -p, --path <path>         Project path (default: current directory)

Checkpoint Management

ng-upgrade checkpoints [options]

Options:
  -p, --path <path>         Project path (default: current directory)
  --list                    List all checkpoints
  --rollback <id>           Rollback to specific checkpoint
  --create <description>    Create new checkpoint
  --cleanup                 Clean up old checkpoints

Project Analysis

The analyzer provides comprehensive insights:

ng-upgrade analyze

Sample Output:

Analyzing Angular project

Analysis completed

Project Analysis Results:
Current Angular version: 12.2.0
Project type: Application
Build system: Angular CLI
Dependencies: 45 total, 3 require updates
Lines of code: 15,420
Components: 28
Services: 12
Risk level: Medium

Upgrade Recommendations:
  - Update deprecated dependencies before upgrade
  - Increase test coverage for better validation
  - Consider incremental upgrade strategy

Checkpoint System

Automatic Checkpoints

• Created before each major version upgrade
• Include complete project state and metadata
• Enable instant rollback to any point in upgrade journey

Manual Checkpoint Management

# List all checkpoints
ng-upgrade checkpoints --list

# Create manual checkpoint
ng-upgrade checkpoints --create "Before custom modifications"

# Rollback to specific checkpoint
ng-upgrade checkpoints --rollback checkpoint-id

# Cleanup old checkpoints
ng-upgrade checkpoints --cleanup

Supported Angular Versions

Configuration

Upgrade Options

interface UpgradeOptions {
  targetVersion: string;
  strategy: 'conservative' | 'balanced' | 'progressive';
  checkpointFrequency: 'every-step' | 'major-versions' | 'custom';
  validationLevel: 'basic' | 'comprehensive';
  thirdPartyHandling: 'automatic' | 'manual' | 'prompt';
  rollbackPolicy: 'auto-on-failure' | 'manual' | 'never';
  parallelProcessing: boolean;
}

Safety Features

Zero Functionality Loss

• Compatibility-First Approach: Prioritizes maintaining existing functionality
• API Bridging: Creates bridge functions for deprecated APIs
• Gradual Migration: Allows mixed usage of old and new patterns
• Optional Modernization: New features are opt-in rather than forced

Multi-Version Safety Mechanisms

• Per-Version Validation: Comprehensive testing after each Angular version upgrade
• Cross-Version Compatibility: Runtime checks for deprecated APIs across versions
• Progressive Feature Adoption: Teams can adopt new features gradually
• Legacy Preservation: Maintains legacy code patterns until appropriate for modernization

Rollback Capabilities

• Granular Rollback: Rollback to any checkpoint in the upgrade sequence
• Automatic Recovery: Auto-rollback on failure if configured
• State Preservation: Maintains application state during rollbacks
• Dependency Synchronization: Rollback dependencies in sync with application state

Programmatic API

import { UpgradeOrchestrator } from 'ng-upgrade-orchestrator';

const orchestrator = new UpgradeOrchestrator('/path/to/project');

// Set up event listeners
orchestrator.on('progress', (report) => {
  console.log(`Progress: ${report.message}`);
});

orchestrator.on('step-complete', (step) => {
  console.log(`Completed: ${step.fromVersion} → ${step.toVersion}`);
});

// Execute upgrade
const result = await orchestrator.orchestrateUpgrade({
  targetVersion: '17',
  strategy: 'balanced',
  checkpointFrequency: 'major-versions',
  validationLevel: 'comprehensive',
  thirdPartyHandling: 'automatic',
  rollbackPolicy: 'auto-on-failure',
  parallelProcessing: false
});

if (result.success) {
  console.log('Upgrade completed successfully!');
} else {
  console.error('Upgrade failed:', result.error);
}

Breaking Changes Handled

Angular 12 → 13

• View Engine complete removal
• Angular Package Format changes
• Ivy renderer optimizations

Angular 13 → 14

• Standalone components introduction
• Optional injectors in ViewChild/ContentChild
• Angular CLI improvements

Angular 14 → 15

• Standalone APIs stabilization
• Image directive with optimization
• MDC-based Angular Material

Angular 15 → 16

• Required inputs API
• Router data as input
• New control flow syntax introduction

Angular 16 → 17

• New application bootstrap API
• Assets folder migration to public
• Control flow syntax stable
• SSR improvements

Angular 17 → 18

• Material 3 design system
• New lifecycle hooks
• Enhanced build optimizations

Angular 18 → 19

• Zoneless change detection (opt-in)
• Event replay for better UX
• Hybrid rendering capabilities

Angular 19 → 20

• Incremental hydration stable
• Signals ecosystem maturation
• Advanced SSR features

Best Practices

Before Upgrade

1. Create Backup: Always create project backup before starting
2. Update Dependencies: Resolve any known dependency conflicts
3. Run Tests: Ensure all tests pass in current version
4. Clean Build: Verify project builds successfully
5. Commit Changes: Commit all pending changes to version control

During Upgrade

1. Monitor Progress: Watch for any warnings or errors
2. Validate Each Step: Don't skip validation phases
3. Review Changes: Understand what each version brings
4. Test Incrementally: Test application after major milestones

After Upgrade

1. Run Full Test Suite: Comprehensive testing after completion
2. Performance Check: Verify performance hasn't degraded
3. Update Documentation: Update project documentation
4. Team Training: Educate team on new features and patterns

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Build Failures

# Check Node.js version compatibility
node --version

# Clear caches
npm run ng cache clean
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install

Dependency Conflicts

# Analyze dependency tree
npm ls --depth=0

# Check for peer dependency warnings
npm install --dry-run

Rollback Issues

# List available checkpoints
ng-upgrade checkpoints --list

# Validate checkpoint integrity
ng-upgrade checkpoints --validate <checkpoint-id>

Getting Help

• Generated API Documentation - Interactive documentation with search
• Documentation - Complete documentation index
• Issues
• Discussions

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/ng-upgrade-orchestrator/ng-upgrade-orchestrator.git
cd ng-upgrade-orchestrator
npm install
npm run build
npm link

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Angular Team for the amazing framework
• Community contributors for feedback and improvements
• All the developers who helped test and refine the orchestrator

Built with love for the Angular community