TypeScript vs JavaScript
Web development has come a long way since the inception of the internet. Developers have immense power at their disposal from front-end mobile applications to full-fledged enterprise applications. The big question faced by developers is constantly whether to use TypeScript or JavaScript in their projects. The Flare Compare Team decided to deep dive into this topic, providing a factual comparison backed by numbers.
What is TypeScript?
TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, which adds optional static typing to the language. It was initially developed and maintained by Microsoft, and later, in July 2019, it was open-sourced. In TypeScript, we can define a type for each variable, property, and function. Hence, we can identify potential bugs at compile-time rather than runtime.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a scripting language that is widely used for creating websites and web applications. It was created by Brendan Eich in just 10 days in May 1995. Its syntax is similar to C, C++, and Java, but its structure is different. It is considered a weakly typed language, meaning variable types do not have to be declared before they are used.
Comparison between TypeScript and JavaScript
In this section, we'll look at some of the differences between TypeScript and JavaScript:
Typing
The most significant difference between TypeScript and JavaScript is typing. TypeScript provides optional static typing, whereas JavaScript is a dynamically typed language with loose types. This means that TypeScript can identify a mistake during development, whereas JavaScript detects errors at runtime.
Tooling support
TypeScript has better tooling support from editors like Visual Studio, VSCode, and WebStorm, whereas in JavaScript, developers are left at the mercy of third-party libraries to cover more modern syntaxes.
Code maintenance
TypeScript is more strict than JavaScript, resulting in code that is easier to understand and maintain over time. As TypeScript requires strict validations, it encourages a more coherent coding style that can be easily maintained with team collaboration. JavaScript is less strict, which can result in code quickly becoming convoluted.
Ease of learning
JavaScript is relatively easy to learn as it is simple and doesn't have strict typing. TypeScript is more complex and has a learning curve, but it is much easier to write clean, scalable projects once you understand it.
Code execution
JavaScript, being a dynamically typed language, requires fewer steps to execute when compared to TypeScript. TypeScript is a compiled language, which means that it must first be transpiled into JavaScript before it can be executed.
Which one to choose?
It depends on the developer's preference and the project's requirements. If you're a new developer, you might find JavaScript easier to learn. For large-scale projects, TypeScript is highly recommended as it adds the necessary structure, organization, and scalability.