Template-driven vs Reactive Forms in Angular
💡 Concept Name
Template-driven vs Reactive Forms – Two approaches provided by Angular to manage user forms. They differ in how the form structure and validation are implemented and managed.
📘 Quick Intro
Angular offers two distinct ways to handle forms: Template-driven forms use HTML templates and Angular directives like ngModel, while Reactive forms use programmatic constructs like FormGroup and FormControl in the component class.
🧠 Analogy / Short Story
Think of template-driven forms as manually filling out a form with a pen, while reactive forms are like using a form-filling software that validates inputs and reacts dynamically as you type.
🔧 Technical Explanation
-
📄 Template-driven Forms:
- HTML-based with
ngModel. - Minimal TypeScript code.
- Suitable for simple forms.
- Validation via template directives.
- Requires
FormsModule.
- HTML-based with
-
🧠 Reactive Forms:
- Code-driven using
FormGroup,FormControl. - High scalability and predictability.
- Better for complex form logic.
- Strongly typed and testable.
- Requires
ReactiveFormsModule.
- Code-driven using
🎯 Purpose & Use Case
- ✅ Use template-driven forms for small forms or quick demos.
- ✅ Use reactive forms in enterprise-level apps with advanced validation.
- ✅ Reactive forms are more maintainable and unit-test friendly.
💻 Real Code Example
// Template-driven Form (HTML)
<form #userForm="ngForm" (ngSubmit)="onSubmit(userForm)">
<input name="username" ngModel required />
</form>
// Reactive Form (Component TS)
import { FormGroup, FormControl, Validators } from '@angular/forms';
form = new FormGroup({
username: new FormControl('', Validators.required)
});
❓ Interview Q&A
Q1: What is the main difference between template-driven and reactive forms?
A: Template-driven forms use HTML and directives, reactive forms are built with TypeScript code and classes.
Q2: Which form type supports better unit testing?
A: Reactive forms.
Q3: Which form requires FormsModule?
A: Template-driven.
Q4: Which form is better for dynamic form generation?
A: Reactive forms.
Q5: Is ngModel used in reactive forms?
A: No, ngModel is used only in template-driven forms.
📝 MCQs
Q1. Which module is used for reactive forms?
- FormsModule
- CommonModule
- ReactiveFormsModule
- NgFormModule
Q2. What directive is used in template-driven forms?
- ngSubmit
- ngIf
- ngModel
- formControl
Q3. Which form type is more scalable?
- Template-driven Forms
- Reactive Forms
- Dynamic Forms
- Static Forms
Q4. Which Angular form approach is better for dynamic validation?
- Template-driven
- Reactive Forms
- Event-driven
- Model-driven
Q5. Which form uses FormGroup and FormControl?
- Template-driven
- Reactive Forms
- Hybrid Forms
- Module Forms
Q6. Which is easier to implement for beginners?
- Template-driven
- Reactive
- Modular
- Custom
Q7. Which form offers better testability?
- Template-driven
- Reactive Forms
- None
- Dynamic Forms
Q8. Which uses HTML directives for validation?
- Reactive
- Template-driven
- Dynamic
- Inline
Q9. What does FormControl manage?
- HTML template
- CSS classes
- Value and validation of a form field
- Page routing
Q10. Which one allows real-time form state monitoring?
- Reactive Forms
- Template-driven
- Manual Forms
- FormBuilder
💡 Bonus Insight
You can mix both approaches in Angular using ControlValueAccessor to create reusable form components that work with both template and reactive forms.
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