<ng-container> is a special element in Angular that groups multiple elements together or marks a location in a template without rendering a real element in the DOM.
<!-- Component template --><section> <ng-container> <h3>User bio</h3> <p>Here's some info about the user</p> </ng-container></section>
<!-- Rendered DOM --><section> <h3>User bio</h3> <p>Here's some info about the user</p></section>
You can apply directives to <ng-container> to add behaviors or configuration to a part of your template.
Angular ignores all attribute bindings and event listeners applied to <ng-container>, including those applied via directive.
Using <ng-container> to display dynamic contents
<ng-container> can act as a placeholder for rendering dynamic content.
Rendering components
You can use Angular's built-in NgComponentOutlet directive to dynamically render a component to the location of the <ng-container>.
@Component({ template: ` <h2>Your profile</h2> <ng-container [ngComponentOutlet]="profileComponent()" /> `})export class UserProfile { isAdmin = input(false); profileComponent = computed(() => this.isAdmin() ? AdminProfile : BasicUserProfile);}
In the example above, the NgComponentOutlet directive dynamically renders either AdminProfile or BasicUserProfile in the location of the <ng-container> element.
Rendering template fragments
You can use Angular's built-in NgTemplateOutlet directive to dynamically render a template fragment to the location of the <ng-container>.
@Component({ template: ` <h2>Your profile</h2> <ng-container [ngTemplateOutlet]="profileTemplate()" /> <ng-template #admin>This is the admin profile</ng-template> <ng-template #basic>This is the basic profile</ng-template> `})export class UserProfile { isAdmin = input(false); adminTemplate = viewChild('admin', {read: TemplateRef}); basicTemplate = viewChild('basic', {read: TemplateRef}); profileTemplate = computed(() => this.isAdmin() ? this.adminTemplate() : this.basicTemplate());}
In the example above, the ngTemplateOutlet directive dynamically renders one of two template fragments in the location of the <ng-container> element.
For more information regarding NgTemplateOutlet, see the NgTemplateOutlets API documentation page.
Using <ng-container> with structural directives
You can also apply structural directives to <ng-container> elements. Common examples of this include ngIfand ngFor.
<ng-container *ngIf="permissions == 'admin'"> <h1>Admin Dashboard</h1> <admin-infographic></admin-infographic></ng-container><ng-container *ngFor="let item of items; index as i; trackBy: trackByFn"> <h2>{{ item.title }}</h2> <p>{{ item.description }}</p></ng-container>
Using <ng-container> for injection
See the Dependency Injection guide for more information on Angular's dependency injection system.
When you apply a directive to <ng-container>, descendant elements can inject the directive or anything that the directive provides. Use this when you want to declaratively provide a value to a specific part of your template.
@Directive({ selector: '[theme]',})export class Theme { // Create an input that accepts 'light' or 'dark`, defaulting to 'light'. mode = input<'light' | 'dark'>('light');}
<ng-container theme="dark"> <profile-pic /> <user-bio /></ng-container>
In the example above, the ProfilePic and UserBio components can inject the Theme directive and apply styles based on its mode.