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# NgModule API
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At a high level, NgModules are a way to organize Angular applications
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and they accomplish this through the metadata in the `@NgModule`
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decorator.
The metadata falls into three categories:
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* **Static:** Compiler configuration which tells the compiler about directive selectors and where in templates the directives should be applied through selector matching. This is configured using the `declarations` array.
* **Runtime:** Injector configuration using the `providers` array.
* **Composability/Grouping:** Bringing NgModules together and making them available using the `imports` and `exports` arrays.
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``` typescript
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@NgModule ( {
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// Static, that is compiler configuration
declarations : [ ] , // Configure the selectors
entryComponents : [ ] , // Generate the host factory
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// Runtime, or injector configuration
providers : [ ] , // Runtime injector configuration
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// Composability / Grouping
imports : [ ] , // composing NgModules together
exports : [ ] // making NgModules available to other parts of the app
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} )
```
## `@NgModule` metadata
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The following table summarizes the `@NgModule` metadata properties.
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<table>
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<tr>
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<th>
Property
</th>
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<th>
Description
</th>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
<code>declarations</code>
</td>
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<td>
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A list of [declarable ](guide/ngmodule-faq#q-declarable ) classes,
(*components*, * directives * , and * pipes * ) that _ belong to this module _ .
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<ol>
<li>When compiling a template, you need to determine a set of selectors which should be used for triggering their corresponding directives.</li>
<li>
The template is compiled within the context of an NgModule—the NgModule within which the template's component is declared—which determines the set of selectors using the following rules:
<ul>
<li>All selectors of directives listed in `declarations` .</li>
<li>All selectors of directives exported from imported NgModules.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
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Components, directives, and pipes must belong to _ exactly _ one module.
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The compiler emits an error if you try to declare the same class in more than one module. Be careful not to re-declare a class that is imported
directly or indirectly from another module.
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
<code>providers</code>
</td>
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<td>
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A list of dependency-injection providers.
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Angular registers these providers with the NgModule's injector.
If it is the NgModule used for bootstrapping then it is the root injector.
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These services become available for injection into any component, directive, pipe or service which is a child of this injector.
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A lazy-loaded module has its own injector which
is typically a child of the application root injector.
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Lazy-loaded services are scoped to the lazy module's injector.
If a lazy-loaded module also provides the `UserService` ,
any component created within that module's context (such as by router navigation)
gets the local instance of the service, not the instance in the root application injector.
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Components in external modules continue to receive the instance provided by their injectors.
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For more information on injector hierarchy and scoping, see [Providers ](guide/providers ) and the [DI Guide ](guide/dependency-injection ).
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
<code>imports</code>
</td>
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<td>
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A list of modules which should be folded into this module. Folded means it is
as if all the imported NgModule's exported properties were declared here.
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Specifically, it is as if the list of modules whose exported components, directives, or pipes
are referenced by the component templates were declared in this module.
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A component template can [reference ](guide/ngmodule-faq#q-template-reference ) another component, directive, or pipe
when the reference is declared in this module or if the imported module has exported it.
For example, a component can use the `NgIf` and `NgFor` directives only if the
module has imported the Angular `CommonModule` (perhaps indirectly by importing `BrowserModule` ).
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You can import many standard directives from the `CommonModule`
but some familiar directives belong to other modules.
For example, you can use `[(ngModel)]` only
after importing the Angular `FormsModule` .
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
<code>exports</code>
</td>
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<td>
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A list of declarations—*component*, * directive * , and * pipe * classes—that
an importing module can use.
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Exported declarations are the module's _ public API _ .
A component in another module can [use ](guide/ngmodule-faq#q-template-reference ) _ this _
module's `UserComponent` if it imports this module and this module exports `UserComponent` .
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Declarations are private by default.
If this module does _ not _ export `UserComponent` , then only the components within _ this _
module can use `UserComponent` .
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Importing a module does _ not _ automatically re-export the imported module's imports.
Module 'B' can't use `ngIf` just because it imported module 'A' which imported `CommonModule` .
Module 'B' must import `CommonModule` itself.
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A module can list another module among its `exports` , in which case
all of that module's public components, directives, and pipes are exported.
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[Re-export ](guide/ngmodule-faq#q-reexport ) makes module transitivity explicit.
If Module 'A' re-exports `CommonModule` and Module 'B' imports Module 'A',
Module 'B' components can use `ngIf` even though 'B' itself didn't import `CommonModule` .
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
<code>bootstrap</code>
</td>
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<td>
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A list of components that are automatically bootstrapped.
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Usually there's only one component in this list, the _ root component _ of the application.
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Angular can launch with multiple bootstrap components,
each with its own location in the host web page.
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A bootstrap component is automatically added to `entryComponents` .
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</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td style="vertical-align: top">
<code>entryComponents</code>
</td>
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<td>
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A list of components that can be dynamically loaded into the view.
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By default, an Angular application always has at least one entry component, the root component, `AppComponent` . Its purpose is to serve as a point of entry into the app, that is, you bootstrap it to launch the application.
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Routed components are also _ entry components _ because they need to be loaded dynamically.
The router creates them and drops them into the DOM near a `<router-outlet>` .
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While the bootstrapped and routed components are _ entry components _ ,
you don't have to add them to a module's `entryComponents` list,
as they are added implicitly.
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Angular automatically adds components in the module's `bootstrap` and route definitions into the `entryComponents` list.
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That leaves only components bootstrapped using one of the imperative techniques, such as [`ViewComponentRef.createComponent()` ](api/core/ViewContainerRef#createComponent ) as undiscoverable.
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Dynamic component loading is not common in most applications beyond the router. If you need to dynamically load components, you must add these components to the `entryComponents` list yourself.
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For more information, see [Entry Components ](guide/entry-components ).
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</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
## More on NgModules
You may also be interested in the following:
* [Feature Modules ](guide/feature-modules ).
* [Entry Components ](guide/entry-components ).
* [Providers ](guide/providers ).
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* [Types of Feature Modules ](guide/module-types ).