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About TypeScript

What is TypeScript?​

TypeScript is a strongly typed programming language that builds on JavaScript, giving you better tooling at any scale. Developed and maintained by Microsoft, TypeScript is open-source and has become the de facto choice for many large-scale JavaScript projects.

TypeScript is often described as a "superset" of JavaScript. This means that every valid JavaScript program is also a valid TypeScript program, but TypeScript adds new capabilities on top of JavaScript.

Key Features​

  • Static Typing: Catch errors early in development with type checking and improved IntelliSense in editors.
  • Type Inference: TypeScript often infers types automatically, reducing the need for explicit type annotations.
  • Modern JavaScript Support: Write code using new ECMAScript features and transpile for older targets.
  • Rich Configuration: Customizable compiler (tsconfig.json) and robust CLI for complex projects.
  • Great Tooling: Deep editor integrations and improved autocompletion, navigation, and refactoring capabilities.
  • Large Community & Ecosystem: Seamless integration with popular frameworks and npm packages.

Why Use TypeScript?​

  • Catch Bugs Early: Type safety helps eliminate common sources of bugs.
  • Improved Readability: Types act as live documentation, making codebases easier to maintain.
  • Refactoring Confidence: Safe, automated code refactors thanks to strict type checks.
  • Scalable Codebases: Facilitates working in teams and scaling complex applications.
  • Better Editor Support: Features like autocompletion, go-to-definition, and inline documentation are richer with TypeScript.

TypeScript Ecosystem​

  • Integrations: Works with frameworks like React, Vue, Angular, Node.js, and Deno.
  • Tooling: Compatible with build tools (Webpack, Vite, esbuild), linters (ESLint), and testing frameworks (Jest, Mocha).
  • DefinitelyTyped: The DefinitelyTyped repository provides thousands of high-quality type definitions for JavaScript libraries.

TypeScript vs JavaScript​

  • TypeScript adds static typing, interfaces, enums, generics, and more.
  • TypeScript code is transpiled to plain JavaScript, so it can run anywhere JS runs (browsers, Node.js, etc).
  • You can gradually adopt TypeScript in existing JavaScript projects.

The Evolution of TypeScript​

First released in 2012, TypeScript has rapidly matured. Recent versions add decorators, const type parameters, better control-flow narrowing, variadic tuple types, and improved type inference. The language is actively maintained with input from both Microsoft and the open-source community.

Learn more at the official site.