Most developers understand signal() and computed(). The real difference starts when application state becomes complicated.
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Angular Signals changed the way Angular developers think about application state.
When Signals first appeared, most developers started with simple examples:
Create a signal.
Update its value.
Display it in a template.
Use computed() to calculate another value.
That is a good starting point.
But real applications rarely stay that simple.
Imagine building an e-commerce application with product filters, shopping carts, user preferences, API responses, loading states, and dependent selections.
Suddenly, you have questions:
Where should the source of truth live?
When should you use computed() instead of effect()?
How do you maintain a user selection when API data changes?
Why does a computed value sometimes execute more often than expected?
