The Top 10 Benefits of TypeScript: Why You Should Switch from JavaScript Today
Tags: javascript, typescript, webdev, programming
Published: 2023-03-14 14:59:08

TypeScript is a popular programming language that builds on JavaScript by adding types and type-checking. TypeScript can help you write more reliable, maintainable, and scalable code for your web applications. But what exactly are the benefits of using TypeScript over plain JavaScript? And how can you get started with TypeScript in your projects? In this blog post, we will answer these questions and show you some examples of how TypeScript can improve your coding experience.

**1. Optional static typing,** which allows you to specify and check the types of your variables, parameters, and return values at compile time. This can help you catch errors early, improve readability, and enable better tooling support.

**2. Early spotted bugs,** which means that TypeScript can detect 15 percent of common bugs at the compile stage1, before they cause problems at runtime. This can save you time and effort in debugging and testing your code.

**3. Predictability,** which means that TypeScript can enforce consistent coding style and structure across your project. This can make your code easier to understand, maintain, and refactor.

**4. Readability,** which means that TypeScript can enhance the clarity and expressiveness of your code by using features like classes, interfaces, generics, enums, decorators, etc. This can make your code more self-documenting and modular.

**5. Rich IDE support,** which means that TypeScript can offer features like code navigation and autocompletion, providing accurate suggestions. You also get feedback while typing: The editor flags errors, including type-related as soon as they occur. All this helps you write maintainable code and results in a significant productivity boost.

**6. Fast refactoring,** which means that TypeScript can help you change your code safely and efficiently by using features like rename symbol, extract method, move file etc. You can also rely on the type system to ensure that your changes don’t break anything.

**7. Power of OOP,** which means that TypeScript can support object-oriented programming paradigms such as inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction etc. You can use classes and interfaces to define reusable components and implement design patterns. You can also use access modifiers to control the visibility of your members.

**8. Cross-platform and cross-browser compatibility,** which means that TypeScript can run anywhere JavaScript runs: In a browser, on Node.js or Deno and in your apps. TypeScript compiles to readable, standards-based JavaScript that works across different platforms and browsers.

**9. Supports the latest JavaScript features,** which means that TypeScript can use the newest syntax and functionality of JavaScript such as arrow functions, destructuring assignments , template literals etc. Since TypeScript is a package that we can install in our projects via npm , if we keep the version updated , we’ll automatically have all the new stuff available . Since the compiler is transforming our code to JavaScript , we don’t have to worry about browser compatibility issues .

**10. File-watching now uses file system events,** which means that TypeScript can improve performance and reliability of watching files for changes . This feature uses native operating system APIs to listen for file changes instead of polling for them . This reduces CPU usage , memory consumption and latency.

We have seen that TypeScript offers many advantages over plain JavaScript, such as optional static typing, early spotted bugs, predictability, readability, rich IDE support, fast refactoring, power of OOP, cross-platform and cross-browser compatibility , supports the latest JavaScript features , and file-watching now uses file system events . These benefits can help you write more reliable , maintainable , and scalable code for your web applications . If you are interested in learning more about TypeScript or getting started with it , you can visit its official website. hope you enjoyed this blog post and found it useful . Happy coding ! 😊