Why to choose TypeScript over JavaScript

JavaScript is a powerful programming language that can be used for frontend, backend and mobile development. Nevertheless, it has some inconveniences which make it more difficult to debug applications.

This is why, in the last years, TypeScript emerged as a popular alternative. TypeScript, an open-source programming language developed by Microsoft, is a superset of JavaScript that adds type-checking and other features to already powerful JavaScript.

In this article, we will explore why and when you should pick TypeScript instead of JavaScript for your next project.

Type Safety

TypeScript allows you to specify types for your variables. This means the value of a variable cannot be changed to another type that wasn't specified beforehand. Otherwise, the compiler would throw an error. See the example below.

A lot of errors in JavaScript happen during the runtime because of dynamic typing. TypeScript recognizes these errors before running your program.

Easier maintenance

TypeScript especially shines in big projects because it supports object-oriented programming concepts such as classes, interfaces, inheritance, etc., which make it easier to organize your code and keep it modular.

Compiler

JavaScript doesn't compile code, as it's an interpreted language. This means the errors get caught during the runtime. TypeScript compiles into JavaScript, so errors get reported during the compile time and not during the runtime.

Code Editor Support

Code editors (IDEs) such as VS Code provide documentation, auto-suggest and highlight errors directly before compiling the code.

NPM packages

As previously mentioned, TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, so utilizing NPM packages in your TypeScript code is unproblematic. Even better, many popular NPM packages already support TypeScript, thanks to the TypeScript community that creates and maintains type definitions for different packages.

Better documentation

TypeScript code is generally easier to document than JavaScript. This is because TypeScript includes type annotations that can help to explain the purpose and behavior of different parts of the codebase. This can make it easier for other developers to understand and work with your code, improving collaboration and reducing the time spent on debugging.

Conclusion

TypeScript offers several advantages over JavaScript that make it a better choice for many web development projects. Type safety, better IDE support, easier maintenance and better documentation are just a few of the benefits of using TypeScript. If you are looking for a more robust and scalable language for your next project, consider using TypeScript.