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# NgModule API
At a high level, NgModules are a way to organize Angular apps
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 via the `declarations` array.
* **Runtime:** Injector configuration via the `providers` array.
* **Composability/Grouping:** Bringing NgModules together and making them available via 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 app 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 app.
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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 apps 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 ).