How does an Angular application work (bootstrapping process)?

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An Angular application bootstraps through a sequence of steps that hands control from main.ts to the root component. main.ts — entry point; calls bootstrapApplication() (modern standalone) or platformBrowserDynamic().bootstrapModule(AppModule) (NgModule-based). Platform created — Angular initializes its platform-browser; sets up DI and zone.js. Root module / standalone bootstrap — loads providers, configures imports. Root component instantiated — AppComponent renders into <app-root> in index.html . Change detection starts — Angular tracks state changes via Zone.js (or Signals in v17+) and updates the DOM. Lazy modules / routes — loaded on demand as the user navigates. angular.json — build config controls which file is the entry, output paths, optimization. The 2026 path is `bootstrapApplication(AppComponent, { providers })` with `provideRouter` / `provideHttpClient`. Mentioning legacy `bootstrapModule()` shows you've worked with both eras.