Typescript or JavaScript: Best Programming Language to Choose

Typescript or JavaScript: Best Programming Language for Using in Your Next Project

In the field of web development, there is a never-ending debate about the best programming language, Typescript or JavaScript. It is important to choose the programming language based on the needs of the project you are working on.

Understanding TypeScript and JavaScript

The goal of TypeScript is to overcome the issues related to large-scale application development. All JavaScript code runs in the TypeScript environment as it's a subset of JavaScript. Since JavaScript cannot verify the connection between these files, developers have plenty of room to make errors that lead to bugs in production. This is why a frontend language such as TypeScript needed to include static type checking. Unlike JavaScript, TypeScript is a compile-to-compile language. This means that it needs to be compiled into JavaScript to work in a web browser. The TypeScript npm package can be used to compile it to JavaScript.

JavaScript is a dynamically typed, prototype-based, multithreaded, and object-oriented language. It supports Object-Oriented, Imprinter-Based, and Declarative styles. JavaScript's dynamic features include: runtime object construction variable parameter lists function variables dynamic script creation object introspection source-code recovery (functions in JavaScript store their source text, and can be read via toString()).

Advantages of TypeScript over JavaScript

Compiler is the most important feature in TypeScript or JavaScript compared to regular JavaScript. The compiler verifies the type and displays the error in real-time. This is very useful when you are refactoring your code as the compiler will show the errors that you might have missed. When you use TypeScript with a modern IDE like Visual Studio Code, you will get great Intellisense features like code hinting and code completion. These features help speed up the development process of the program. A developer can configure the behavior of TypeScript using the tsconfig file. For instance, TypeScript provides the option to compile the code to the previous version of JavaScript so that the code will run on all browsers. Another option for a developer is TypeScript's strict mode. This mode adds many additional checks to ensure the correctness of the code. TypeScript also enables you to use some ES6/ES7 candidate features that are not supported by most browsers yet.

Disadvantages of TypeScript over JavaScript

Even though TypeScript is not error-free, it is better than JavaScript as its compiler finds bugs that you would not have found otherwise. TypeScript finds 15% more errors than JavaScript. One of the downsides of using TypeScript is that you have to go through the extra step of compilation. This step slows down your build time and makes your bundler setup more complicated.
If you're working on a big project with a large team, you might want to consider implementing TypeScript into your project. Additionally, if you're using external libraries or frameworks that provide type definitions, TypeScript or JavaScript can make your code much simpler to write. If you're writing a short script or a personal project, then consider using JavaScript instead.

Using TypeScript or JavaScript for your project

Using TypeScript in your project may be beneficial if:

• TypeScript makes your code easier to write as it uses frameworks and third-party libraries.
• Errors are more likely to occur while working on large-scale projects, here TypeScript is the best option.
• You have the time to learn and write TypeScript.

  JavaScript may be a better option if:

• You are writing a script or a personal project and don't want to write a lot of code
• You prefer to build out a project quickly rather than maintain it and avoid errors in the long run.
• You have never learned TypeScript and you don't have time to learn.

However, the dilemma of TypeScript or JavaScript choice is a hard nut to crack, but as is evident, TypeScript is a great object-oriented programming language that can boost your productivity in developing big-scale applications. However, it has the drawback of being more complex when coding or compiling. When everything goes well, you will have a lot of free time on your hands. If you are on your own, I recommend using the advanced TypeScript language instead of normal JavaScript. On the contrary, if you are working with others, then passing the time to persuade them to use TypeScript may turn out to take a lot of effort.