When you set out to build a B2B portal, speed is always top of mind.
Quick turnaround means happier clients, less frustration for developers, and a much smoother launch. But how do you get there without cutting quality?
That’s where AngularJS component libraries really help. Let’s walk through how these libraries make a difference, which ones are worth exploring, and how to actually use them for your B2B projects.
First things first: a B2B portal is a private site where businesses connect with other businesses, vendors, or partners. Think features like dashboards, order submission, product catalogs, invoicing, analytics—you name it. These are expected today, not some wild innovation.
Here’s what I’ve noticed over the years:
Companies expect their portals to look modern and be reliable.
No one likes long development timelines.
Launching sooner means getting business benefits faster.
So, developers are always hunting for ways to make things move along. AngularJS component libraries have become one of the best tools for this.
If you’re new to AngularJS, it’s a framework (toolkit) for building web apps with JavaScript. “AngularJS” usually means the first version (1.x), but most people today really use later Angular versions, which are just called “Angular.”
Component libraries are like boxes of ready-made building blocks—widgets, buttons, date pickers, forms, tables, charts, and more. Instead of spending days creating a dropdown, you just pop one out of the library and use it in your portal.
I find this approach saves time, cuts bugs, and helps everyone on the team work off common pieces.
Let’s keep it simple. Why do people reach for these libraries over building from scratch?
Consistent Look and Feel: The entire portal matches, no weird one-off buttons or tables.
Faster Builds: No need to code up routine elements. Drop them in, focus on what matters.
Reduced Bugs: Popular libraries are well-tested. Fewer headaches for your QA team.
Customizable Themes: Most libraries provide simple ways to match your client’s branding.
Accessibility: Built-in support for keyboard navigation and screen readers.
Great Docs: Never scramble for help. Most big libraries have clear guides and active communities.
Long-Term Maintenance: When Angular updates, so do the libraries—so your portal doesn’t lag behind.
There are quite a few out there. Here’s a breakdown of the ones that come up again and again in real projects.
About: Created and maintained by Google, following Material Design principles.
Strengths: Simple, consistent, easy to theme.
What’s inside: Buttons, forms, modal dialogs, tables, date pickers, basic charts.
Best use: Modern portals where a clean design is needed.
About: One of the most complete Angular UI libraries, packed with over 80 components.
Highlights: Advanced tables, calendars, charts, tree menus, drag-and-drop.
Downsides: So many choices can feel overwhelming at first.
Best fit: Portals with complex, feature-rich dashboards or advanced data interfaces.
About: Enterprise-oriented library with a focus on apps that need lots of data display and manipulation.
Key features: Massive data grids, charts, Gantt charts, schedulers, PDF viewers, spreadsheets.
Perks: Good for high-traffic, scalable portals where performance with lots of data is key.
About: These are Angular versions of the well-known Bootstrap user interface library.
Why pick: If your users already know/like Bootstrap’s look. Easy to adopt for devs familiar with Bootstrap.
Highlights: Modal dialogs, navbars, alerts, tooltips, tabs, and more.
About: Follows Ant Design standards (from Alibaba).
Strengths: Sleek, businesslike, with robust table and form handling.
Good for: Large portals that need a polished, professional feel and advanced data layout.
About: Match Salesforce “Lightning” look-and-feel.
When to use: Portals connected to or inspired by Salesforce systems.
It’s not one-size-fits-all. Here’s what to think about:
What do you need? (Charts, massive forms, reporting, multi-language support?)
Team skill level: Which libraries does your team already know?
How much design flexibility needed? (Material, Bootstrap, Ant Design all have unique styles.)
License: Some advanced features may be paid.
Performance: Not all libraries are lightweight—test your core workflows.
Community: Is help easy to find?
My advice—try small prototypes with top candidates. Input from both designers and developers helps pick the most comfortable one for your workflow.
So you’ve chosen a library. Here’s what next steps usually look like:
Command line example:
text
npm install @angular/material
Replace with the package name of your chosen library.
Edit your app.module.ts to import specific modules (like buttons, inputs, sliders) only as you need them, to keep bundle size small and build time fast.
Start wiring up actual pages—login, product search, order management—using the ready-made components.
Tweak colors, fonts, and spacing to match client branding. Most libraries provide guides or CSS variables to make this easy.
Test early and often on desktop and mobile. B2B users expect things to work everywhere.
Let’s say you want:
A table of orders with sorting/filtering.
A chart showing monthly sales.
A menu sidebar and top nav.
Here’s how you might tackle it:
Use Angular Material for page layout and navigation.
Drop in PrimeNG’s DataTable for advanced order searching/filtering.
Syncfusion’s chart for sales visualization.
Mixing libraries works, just keep an eye on file sizes and avoid UI style clashes.
Can I use multiple libraries together? Yes, just be careful about overlapping styles or extra code bloat. Stick to what you need.
Is there a downside to ready-made widgets? You lose a bit of custom design control but gain speed, consistency, and fewer bugs.
How often do these libraries update? Big projects like Angular Material and PrimeNG update frequently, keeping up with Angular itself.
What if I need accessibility and compliance? Most up-to-date UI libraries focus on accessibility, but always run your own tests.
Import only what you need: Keeps bundle size down.
Test early and with real data: Spot problems before they hit users.
Keep libraries up to date: Performance and security improve over time.
Document your uses: Helps the next dev on your project understand choices made.
Component libraries such as PrimeNG and Angular Material are used by countless companies worldwide and get tens or even hundreds of thousands of NPM downloads weekly. They’re deployed and tested in high-stakes, real-world B2B applications every single day.
From my experience, building B2B portals with AngularJS component libraries is more than just a “shortcut.” It’s often the smartest way to build something robust, good-looking, and user-friendly—minus the long waits. Take the time to pick a good library for your needs, try out sample components, and see how much more relaxed portal building can be.
If you run into trouble or have a unique challenge, ask around—somebody else has wrestled with it before, and chances are there’s an answer or a component you haven’t discovered yet.
If your project is on a deadline or your team lacks deep Angular skills, hiring an Angular Development Company can speed things up further. Experienced teams already know the ins and outs of these libraries, solve integration issues quickly, and handle scale without drama.