What is the difference between template-driven and reactive forms?

In Angular, both template-driven and reactive forms are used to handle form input and validation—but they differ in approach, control, and structure.

Here’s a clear breakdown of the differences between template-driven and reactive forms:

🧾 1. Form Structure

Feature	Template-Driven Form	Reactive Form
Code Location	Logic is mainly in the HTML template	Logic is mainly in the TypeScript code
Form Definition	Uses Angular directives (ngModel)	Uses FormControl, FormGroup, FormBuilder
Control	Angular controls the form	Developer has explicit control

💻 2. Setup & Syntax Example

Template-Driven (HTML-Heavy):

<form #f="ngForm">
  <input name="username" [(ngModel)]="user.name" required>
</form>

Reactive (TS-Heavy):

form = new FormGroup({
  username: new FormControl('', Validators.required)
});

<form [formGroup]="form">
  <input formControlName="username">
</form>

🔍 3. Validation

Feature	Template-Driven	Reactive
Style	Declarative (in HTML)	Programmatic (in TypeScript)
Custom Validators	Less flexible	Very flexible and testable
Async Validation	Not ideal	Easily implemented

⚙️ 4. Use Cases

• ✅ Template-Driven:

  • Simple forms

  • Small projects

  • Forms that don’t need complex logic

• ✅ Reactive:

  • Large/complex forms

  • Dynamic form fields

  • Complex validation and unit testing needs

🎯 Summary

Aspect	Template-Driven	Reactive
Control Level	Less	More
Scalability	Limited	High
Code Complexity	Simpler (HTML-heavy)	More structured (TS-heavy)
Testing	Harder	Easier