You have arrived at the proper location. If you’re beginning to work on new client-side applications like Angular or React and seeking a thorough tutorial before selecting the language for a new project, typescript vs javascript.
What is TypeScript?
TypeScript with file extension .ts is a strongly typed programming language that builds on JavaScript, giving you better tooling at any scale.
If you are a C# or Java developer, typescript will be nothing more than another “Hello Word” program for you.
Writing a large scaled application using the javascript language can be really challenging “for me at least” what about you?
So, Typescript comes into the picture. This makes writing the code easier by using powerful features like interfaces, inheritance, and classes and dedicated datatypes for easy readability and fast passing of the development.
Is TypeScript Open Source?
TypeScript is a free and open-source programming language developed and maintained by Microsoft. It is a strict syntactical superset of JavaScript and adds optional static typing to the language.
If you wanted to contribute to the typescript project. All you need to do is just make changes and raise PR with the and if it gets approved. Then you become one of the contributors to typescript language.
Documentation and Community for TypeScript
Typescript is among the popular celebrities amongst the javascript programming languages. So, you don’t need to bother about the documentation and help require while you are stuck somewhere.
It has a huge community where you can always ask for help and higher chances of getting a response in no time.
- Copy some code from StackOverflow
- Chat with the online users on Discord
- Follow the trending tweets about TypeScript on Twitter
- Pass feedback on Github
How to install TypeScript
For the latest stable version:
npm install -g typescript
For our nightly builds:
npm install -g typescript@next
When to use TypeScript?
Every use case is different. It depends on what is the need of your project. But, if you are asking from a learning point of view, I will suggest giving it a try for this. The initial time you might struggle, but once you are addicted to rich features. You will never think of going back to JavaScript.
Catch Issues at Compile Time
Since TypeScript is a strongly typed language, it can detect a much wider range of issues in your IDE. You don’t have to wait until you run the program and use numerous console log statements to log the issue.
Refactoring the Code
When you have written a good amount of code and trying to refactor the legacy code written by someone else. The chances of introducing bugs are very high. When you refactor, TypeScript not only assures you that nothing was missed but also identifies the areas that need updating. You no longer need to manually track your variables all over the code.
Auto-Completion
Unexpected autocomplete in TypeScript has emerged as one of the main factors contributing to its popularity.
Autocomplete means I don’t have to worry about typos (did we name this prop color or colour?). I don’t have to keep jumping between files to see which component props I need.
Use TypeScript with VsCode IDE to utilize the most out of it. Because both are developed by Microsoft and have great integration.
What is JavaScript?
Javascript is a powerful client-side programing language user for building interactive webpages. It is supported by almost every browser available out there in the market. It can be used to write the service side code as well.
Is Javascript Object Oriented Programing Language?
JavaScript is not an object-oriented language. Neither is it completely a functional language. JavaScript is a prototype-based procedural language. It supports both functional and object-oriented patterns of programming.
What is JavaScript Engine?
A JavaScript engine is simply a computer program that receives JavaScript source code and compiles it to the binary instructions (machine code) that a CPU can understand.
JavaScript engines are typically developed by web browser vendors, and each major browser has one. Examples include the V8 engine for Google chrome, SpiderMonkey for Firefox, and Chakra for Internet Explorer.
Interested in How exactly Javascript works? Read this Awesome Article on https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/execution-context-how-javascript-works-behind-the-scenes/
Pros and Cons of JavaScript (JS)
Pros
- Faster than other languages – As JavaScript is an interpreted language, it speeds up your application development process and reduces the time required by other languages for compilation.
- Interoperability – It perfectly aligns with other languages. You can easily embed JS into a webpage or inside the script of a particular programming language.
- Server Load – JS operates on the client side. This means you can validate the data on the browser itself instead of sending it off the server.
- Rich Interfaces – It offers multiple interfaces to help developers create intuitive web pages.
- Extensibility – JS allows developers to add snippets of predefined code within the code with the help of third-party integrations.
- Versatility – You can use it for the frontend (by utilizing libraries like Angular, React, etc.) and backend (by utilizing Node JS) requirements.
Cons
- Security – As JS code is viewable to the user, it is subjected to malicious intent or can result in data malfunction.
- Browser Support – Each browser interprets JavaScript differently.
- Debugging Facility – Indeed, some HTML editors support debugging but are not as efficient as C/ C++ editors.
- Single Inheritance – It is unable to provide support for multiple inheritances.
TypeScript vs JavaScript Comparision
| Parameter | Typescript | JavaScript |
|---|---|---|
| One line Answers | Powerful type system, including generics & JS features | Lightweight, interpreted, object-oriented language with first-class functions |
| Data Binding | TypeScript uses concepts like types and interfaces to describe the data being used. | NA |
| Ecosystem | The Ecosystem is quite powerful and intuitive. Thus, it allows you to statically type various types of idiomatic JavaScript features like union types, intersection and discriminated union. | Just Write and Run |
| Npm package | With Typescript, many npm packages either come with static type definitions or have an external one that is easy to install. | NA |
| Learning curve | TypeScripts follow the syntax the same as C#. For backed developers like C# or Java, it’s not a big deal to learn this. | JavaScript has the feature of prototyping. |
| Prototyping | Typescript has the feature of prototyping. | NA |
| Community | In recent times the community of typescripts has grown drastically. We have already discussed the Documentation and Community in this section of the article. Documentation & Community | JavaScript has a huge community of developers |
| Compilation | TypeScript requires a compilation | Not Required |
| Used By | Asana, Clever, Screen award | Airbnb, Codecademy, Instagram |
Conclusion
So in this article, we tried to understand what are these languages typescript and javascript. Pros and Cons of both languages.
Detailed comparison among both the languages and their documentation and community.
