JavaScript has been popular among developers for years. Experts believe that it is going to be a thing of the past. It is because of the new entrant (not a recent one, though) in the market, i.e., Typescript. A lot of people are now comparing TypeScript vs JavaScript and wondering which is better.

And why not? It’s normal – whenever a technology or language rises, another inevitably enters the market and competes with it. TypeScript is a new rival.

TypeScript is a popular, feature-rich variant of JavaScript. Introduced in 2012 by Microsoft, TypeScript is an open-source programming language for the development of large-scale applications. It was designed specifically for expansive applications.

According to research, 60% of JavaScript developers now use TypeScript, and 22% want to. So, if you want to know why, read this post.

This post compares TypeScript vs JavaScript, their similarities, differences, and advantages.

Ready to explore?

Let’s dive in…

Differences Between TypeScript and JavaScript in Their Core Components

When we talk about JavaScript typescript differences, TypeScript exceeds the capabilities of JavaScript. Any piece of JavaScript code may be interpreted correctly in TypeScript. Therefore, if you save a JavaScript programming file with a TypeScript (.ts) extension rather than an a.js extension, the program will run without any problems.

However, this does not imply that both JavaScript and TypeScript are equivalent to one another in any way.

Therefore, before we get any deeper into detail, let’s first get a basic understanding of the definition of each language.

Here we go…

What motivated the development of TypeScript in the first place?

JavaScript was initially introduced as a client-side programming language. In addition to Node.js, JavaScript is now an emerging server-side technology due to the development of Node.js.

However, as JavaScript code grows, it tends to become more cluttered, making it more challenging to maintain and reuse.

In addition, JavaScript’s lack of support for Object Orientation, strong type checking, and compile-time error checks hinders its enterprise viability as a full-fledged server-side technology. The typeScript was developed to fill this void.

What exactly is Typescript?

TypeScript is an advanced programming language with similarities to JavaScript. It is a statically constructed language that can be used to write straightforward and understandable code. It is executable on Node.js and any web browser that supports ECMAScript 3 or later.

In addition to classes and interfaces, TypeScript offers static typing as a substitute. Implementing Typescript in a large-scale JavaScript project can result in software that is both more durable and easier to deploy than a conventional JavaScript application.

This open-source programming language takes an object-oriented approach. It was developed and is maintained by Microsoft. It is a superset of JavaScript and includes typing as an optional construct. Additionally, it can be compiled into standard JavaScript.

It serves the same function as JavaScript and is applicable to both the client-side and the server-side of the application development process. Moreover, the JavaScript libraries are compatible with TypeScript as well.

TypeScript offers classes, visibility scopes, namespaces, inheritance, unions, interfaces, and many additional features, making web development a breeze for developers. In addition to that, it provides commenting capabilities, variables, statements, expressions, modules, and functions.

In a nutshell, TypeScript is an improved version of JavaScript. Hence, all code written in JavaScript can be translated into syntactically valid TypeScript.

Components of TypeScript

The following three components make up the core of TypeScript:

Language: Syntax, keywords, and type annotations are all parts of TypeScript.

TypeScript Compiler: The instructions written in TypeScript are converted to their JavaScript counterpart by the TypeScript compiler, abbreviated as tsc.

The TypeScript Language Service: The TypeScript Language Service, also known as the “Language Service,” offers an additional layer around the core compiler pipeline consisting of applications similar to editors. 

The language service can support the standard set of activities typically performed by editors, such as signature assistance, code formatting and outlining colorization, statement completion, and many more.

Key Features of TypeScript

Before we move on to the difference between typescript and JavaScript, let’s take a look at their key features:

TypeScript Code is translated to Plain JavaScript Code since browsers cannot natively comprehend TypeScript Code. TypeScript code is therefore compiled and turned to JavaScript. This process is referred to as Trans-piled. With the use of JavaScript code, browsers can interpret and display the code.

TypeScript allows developers to utilize existing JavaScript code, include popular JavaScript libraries, or call TS Code from native JavaScript code.

TypeScript may be compiled to operate on any browser, platform, or device. TypeScript is compatible with all environments.

TypeScript is JavaScript. TypeScript commences and concludes with JavaScript. Typescript incorporates JavaScript’s fundamental building components for your software. 

Any JavaScript code can be changed to TypeScript by renaming the file extension from.js to.ts. Therefore, only knowledge of JavaScript is required to use TypeScript.

TypeScript is a portable language. TypeScript is portable between browsers, operating systems, and devices. It can work in any context where JavaScript operates. TypeScript, unlike its competitors, and counterparts does not require a dedicated VM or a specific runtime environment to execute.

TypeScript is JS library compatible. Developers can re-use all JavaScript frameworks, tools, and libraries with TypeScript-generated JavaScript.

What exactly is JavaScript? 

In our endeavor to compare TypeScript vs JavaScript, it’s time to understand what JavaScript is. 

JavaScript is a scripting language that facilitates the development of interactive websites. It adhered to the conventions of client-side programming, meaning it operates in the user’s web browser without requiring server-side resources.

You can also utilize Javascript with REST APIs, XML, and other technologies. The fundamental objective behind the development of JS was to transform it into an auxiliary scripting language, analogous to the way that Visual Basic is to C++.

However, large-scale applications that require a lot of complexity cannot be written with JavaScript. The purpose of creating this script is to make it a supplementary scripting language, similar to how Visual Basic was to C++ in Microsoft’s language families.

JavaScript is not, however, meant for huge, complicated applications. It was designed for apps containing several hundred lines of code!

Components of JavaScript

Developers can construct web-specific apps using the browser’s JavaScript runtime. The runtime environment of a web browser consists of the following three essential components:

The Core Based On ECMAScript: The core implementation of JavaScript that contains all of the input and output functions that may be used by developers is known as ECMAScript.

Document Object Model or DOM: DOM stands for Document Object Model. The browser renders this as a hierarchy of nodes for XML and HTML.

The Browser Object Model or BOM: BOM is what enables developers to take control of the browser window and make changes. The BOM allows developers to access and modify browser functionality outside of the DOM or the current page.

Key Features of JavaScript

DOM manipulation is the main reason behind the creation of JavaScript. It has revolutionized the web. Additionally, it may modify the CSS of each HTML element on the page. Javascript can insert new page elements and remove old ones. In addition, it can build new HTML events.

Originally designed as a server-side language, javascript is widely utilized on the client-side. This characteristic of javascript made it the web’s primary language.

Functions in javascript are first-class objects. As with any other object, they can have properties and methods. Other functions can accept functions as arguments.

Javascript is a platform-independent programming language, meaning it can operate on Windows, Macintosh, Netscape-supported systems, and other platforms.

Objects in JavaScript contain an internal attribute called the prototype. These prototypes are references to other objects and include properties shared by all instances. Developers benefit much from prototypes, which facilitate their work.

Last but not least, Javascript includes built-in functions that manage dates and times with ease.

TypeScript vs JavaScript: Which is Better?

When it’s to JavaScript typescript differences, there are numerous ways the two differ from each other. Here are the different aspects on which the difference between Typescript and JavaScript is based. Take a look…

1. Types

JavaScript is a scripting language, but TypeScript is an object-oriented programming language. Moreover, TypeScript provides access to a greater number of functionalities than JavaScript.

2. The Knowledge

TypeScript extends and improves upon JavaScript in every way. To be able to develop code with TypeScript, you should have a fundamental understanding of and familiarity with JavaScript.

In addition to that, you need to have a solid understanding of the OOPS idea.

On the other hand, JavaScript is a widely used scripting language that is also quite simple to pick up. The creation of online apps often involves the usage of JavaScript in conjunction with CSS and HTML.

3. The Community of Programmers

Within a short period of time, TypeScript became widely popular and is used by a large number of businesses. When it comes to learning TypeScript, the internet offers a wealth of resources in the form of tutorials and manuals. Aside from that, the community is incredibly engaged and helpful to one another.

JavaScript includes a wide variety of libraries, frameworks, and conventions for writing code. However, it does not have a very sizable community compared to TypeScript.

4. Performance

As is well known, the limitations of JavaScript in the development of large-scale, sophisticated applications inspired the development of TypeScript.

As a result, using TypeScript reduces the amount of time spent on development and enables developers to work more effectively.

5. Code

The main distinction between TypeScript and JavaScript is that the code written in TypeScript must first be compiled into JavaScript before it can be run.

For TypeScript:

class Person

{

private name: string;

constructor (private name: string)

{

this.name = name;

}

name()

{

return “name is “ + this.name;

}

}

For JavaScript:

Variable declaration, a functional paradigm, and a type system are not included in JavaScript, but TypeScript provides all of these features.

In terms of syntax, it is comparable to JScript and.Net, and it supports all of the features that are included in the ECMAScript 2015 Standard. These features include modules, an arrow function syntax, and classes.

JavaScript, like ECMAScript, operates according to its own definition. On the other hand, unlike TypeScript, it is not a typed language.

It makes use of a great deal of structured programming terminology from C, such as if statements, switch statements, do-while loops, and a great deal of other structured programming terminology.

It uses an event-driven style of programming and also supports functional and imperative code.

7. Tools and Structures

As said earlier, Microsoft supports TypeScript; that’s why many of the most popular frameworks and editors support it. It provides error handling during compilation in order to avoid errors at runtime.

On the other hand, the market offers a wide selection of JavaScript frameworks that may be used to fulfill the requirements of web development projects.

It is a very large ecosystem that is quite well-liked by software developers.

You won’t have any trouble finding developers who are skilled in the use of frameworks like ReactJS, VueJS, or Angular.

8. Annotation

Annotating one’s code should be a continuous process for developers who want to make the most of TypeScript’s features. However, annotations are not necessary while working with JavaScript.

9. Reliability

In comparison to JavaScript, the code written in TypeScript is both more trustworthy and simpler to modify. Because of this, programmers are better able to avoid errors and perform rewrites more easily.

The majority of the silly errors that can slip into JavaScript codebases are invalidated by using types, and types also establish a speedy feedback loop that can be used to address all of the minor mistakes made when developing new code or rewriting existing code.

10. ES6 Capabilities 

TypeScript makes use of ES6 capabilities in order to provide interfaces and modules, whereas JavaScript does not make use of any such features.

In a nutshell, TypeScript is the superior option. Even if you don’t take advantage of all of TypeScript’s features, the program is still a valuable addition to any developer’s toolkit.

It is simple to begin with a limited scope and gradually expand while gaining knowledge and integrating new capabilities along the way.

There is no cause for trepidation with regard to using TypeScript as it is both pragmatic and welcoming to beginners.

Moreover, Typescript is an object-oriented programming language; using it results in code that is more reusable, as well as simpler, more organized, and less cluttered.

For this reason, most developers use Typescript to construct massive applications. Javascript, on the other hand, is an ideal choice for programming projects that are on the smaller side.

TypeScript vs JavaScript: Which one to Choose?

TypeScript programming language is a far superior option. Here are some of the best advantages that you enjoy upon using TypeScript:

JavaScript is an interpreted language; therefore, it does not need to be compiled. It must be tested to ensure its validity. It means that you write all the code only in case there is an issue and you don’t get any results. As a result, you’ll have to put in countless hours looking for faults in the code.

The TypeScript transpiler provides the error-checking feature. If TypeScript detects a syntactic fault in the code, it will compile it and issue a warning. Prior to the script being executed, this helps to identify any potential issues.

JavaScript does not have robust static typing. Static typing and type inference are available as an add-on for TypeScript via the TypeScript Language Service (TLS). The TLS can deduce the type of a variable based on its value when the variable is defined with no type.

TypeScript allows JavaScript libraries to define their own types. External JavaScript libraries can be defined in a TypeScript Definition file (the.d.ts extension). Therefore, these libraries are usable within TypeScript code.

Furthermore, object-oriented programming features like classes, interfaces, and inheritance are all supported by TypeScript in its syntax.

Why Should You Utilize TypeScript for Your Next Project?

Since TypeScript is compiled to JavaScript throughout the process of building the application. Therefore, it does not have a speed advantage over JavaScript; however, it can execute in any environment in which JavaScript can.

Mistakes are more likely to occur when a codebase is both extensive and complex. You cannot identify errors with JS, and this is where it becomes shoddy, and TypeScript comes into play.

When it comes to choosing between React JavaScript vs TypeScript for your project, TypeScript tops the list. TypeScript’s main benefits are its error checking, suggestion capabilities, and code editing interface.

Take Away

Undoubtedly, Javascript has progressed from a server-side language to one of the key web technologies of the World Wide Web. It is utilized both on the server and on the client, and its features are helpful but complex. However, when it comes to choosing the best between TypeScript vs JavaScript, more than 60% of developers opt for TypeScript for all the benefits that it offers.

If you’re confused between React JavaScript vs TypeScript, then contact us!

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