Angular is a powerful front-end framework that offers a suite of features designed to enhance your development experience. Here are the top 5 Angular features that can significantly boost your productivity:

1. Two-Way Data Binding: This feature allows real-time synchronization between the model and view. Any changes made in the UI reflect instantly in the data model and vice versa, making it easier to manage application states.
2. Dependency Injection: Angular’s built-in dependency injection system streamlines the process of building efficient applications. It facilitates code reusability and modularity by allowing developers to inject services and components into their applications effortlessly.
3. Routing: Angular’s routing capabilities enable developers to create single-page applications with multiple views. This feature enhances user navigability and improves the overall user experience.
4. Component-Based Architecture: By promoting the use of reusable components, Angular helps in maintaining code organization and scalability. This modular approach allows teams to work on different parts of an application simultaneously.
5. RxJS and Reactive Programming: Angular incorporates RxJS for handling asynchronous data streams effectively. This feature empowers developers to manage complex data flows and make their applications more resilient.

Optimizing your Angular application for better performance is crucial for providing a seamless user experience. Start by leveraging the built-in Angular features such as OnPush Change Detection, which minimizes the need for Angular to check every component for changes. Additionally, utilize the Lazy Loading technique to load feature modules only when they are needed, thereby reducing the initial load time. Implementing a reliable server-side rendering (SSR) can also enhance performance by pre-rendering pages on the server and sending them to the client faster.

Another effective strategy is to optimize your application's bundle size. This can be achieved by removing unused dependencies and using tools like Angular CLI's built-in optimizations to support tree-shaking. Moreover, consider using the Angular AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compiler to compile your HTML and TypeScript into JavaScript during the build process, which can significantly reduce rendering time. By focusing on these optimization techniques, your Angular application will not only run smoother but also rank better in search results due to enhanced loading speeds and user experience.

When working with Angular, developers can sometimes fall into common traps that hinder their coding efficiency and performance. One major mistake is neglecting Angular's lifecycle hooks, which can lead to unexpected behaviors in components. Understanding when to use hooks like ngOnInit and ngOnDestroy is essential for managing resource allocation and component initialization effectively. Additionally, many developers overlook change detection strategies which can cause performance bottlenecks. By leveraging the OnPush change detection strategy, developers can enhance their application's performance significantly.

Another frequent misstep is the improper handling of async data. Failing to manage subscriptions properly can lead to memory leaks and performance degradation over time. It is crucial to unsubscribe from Observables when components are destroyed, either by using built-in features like the AsyncPipe or implementing manual unsubscribe logic. Moreover, inadequate module organization can cause code maintainability issues. Structuring your Angular application into feature modules and adhering to best practices will not only aid in code clarity but also foster smoother collaboration within teams.