TypeScript’s features

TypeScript, a popular open-source programming language developed and maintained by Microsoft, is rapidly gaining popularity among developers worldwide. It was introduced as a superset of JavaScript, aiming to facilitate larger-scale applications while enhancing code quality and maintainability. TypeScript leverages static typing and compiles to clean, simple JavaScript code, ensuring compatibility with existing JavaScript environments.

This robust language brings a host of powerful features that set it apart and make it an appealing choice for many programmers. Notably, TypeScript infuses strong typing into JavaScript, providing better error checking and reducing runtime bugs. Moreover, it fully supports object-oriented programming with advanced features like classes, interfaces, and inheritance.

Since any valid JavaScript code is also TypeScript, transitioning from JavaScript to TypeScript can be done gradually, with developers introducing types to their codebase progressively. This makes TypeScript a flexible, scalable solution for both small and large-scale projects.

In this section, we will summarize the essential features of TypeScript that you should take advantage of:

• TypeScript is JavaScript: TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, which means that any JavaScript code you write will work with TypeScript. If you already know how to use JavaScript, you have all the knowledge you need to use TypeScript. You just need to learn how to add types to your code. All TypeScript code is transformed into JavaScript in the end.
• JavaScript is TypeScript: This just means that you can rename any valid .js file with the .ts extension, and it will work.
• Error checking: TypeScript compiles the code and checks for errors, which helps identify issues before running the code.
• Strong typing: By default, JavaScript is not strongly typed. With TypeScript, you can add types to all your variables and functions, and even specify the return value types.
• Object-oriented programming supported: TypeScript supports advanced concepts such as classes, interfaces, inheritance, and more. This allows for better organization of code and enhances its maintainability.

After having discussed the key features of TypeScript, let us delve into a practical demonstration of converting JavaScript code into TypeScript.