title: How to package Angular (front-end) and Node.js (server) applications together
body: <p>I am building an Angular 8 front-end application, and a Node.js web application using Express framework to serve as the backend of the application. The Express-based server-side web application will expose a REST API, that will be consumed by the Angular application, which in turn may make HTTP calls to external services.</p>
  
  <p>For specific reasons, I need to distribute the two applications together. I also want to manage development of both applications as a single project. I have searched for good practices online, and I have seen several approaches, such as:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Serve the Angular application almost like a static set of files in a directory within the Node.js web application</li>
  <li>Use a package like <code>concurrently</code> to run the Angular and Node.js applications simultaneously, by defining a script in the top-level folder's <code>package.json</code> file.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>I imagine there are multiple ways of achieving this, and I hope someone can share an approach on a well trodden path, using the same or similar stack.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Update Oct 21 2019</strong> I want to provide some context on my specific requirement. I don't plan to host this on an external server. Ultimately, my goal is to create an Electron app that will encapsulate the front-end and the web application. I am currently prototyping this for local development and execution, and distributing to a few users for review.</p>