JavaScript vs TypeScript: Which One Should You Choose?

Because of its recognized versatility in the continually changing field of web development, JavaScript continues to dominate as a major programming language for constructing dynamic websites. TypeScript, on the other hand, has grown in favor among developers as a superset of JavaScript that extends the language’s capabilities. TypeScript improves JavaScript for building more maintainable and scalable apps by introducing static typing and other features aimed at increasing code quality and resilience.

When starting a new project, web developers must consider the trade-offs between the simplicity of plain JavaScript and the added capability of TypeScript to choose which language is best suited to their needs. The decision between JavaScript and TypeScript involves both technical and philosophical concerns like type safety, code organization, and future maintainability. While JavaScript is still essential, TypeScript provides an enticing alternative for managing complexity in large-scale web development.

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2023, JavaScript is the most popular programming language in the globe, with over 65.82% of professional developers using it on a regular basis. TypeScript, on the other hand, has risen in popularity as an open-source language, with approximately 43.75% of developers using it in projects. This indicates the growing use of TypeScript among web developers.
Now consider how JavaScript and TypeScript differ from one another.

What Exactly Is JavaScript?

JavaScript is an open source, high-level programming language that is largely used for web development. It is widely supported by web browsers, making it a popular choice among developers for creating dynamic web sites. JavaScript shines at web application development. To begin, it excels as a client-side scripting language, enabling developers to add interactivity and responsiveness to HTML pages. Numerous JavaScript development services are available to give skilled assistance and execution for individuals wishing to construct ambitious projects.

By responding to user inputs and making web pages more dynamic, JavaScript improves the user experience and engagement with a web page. Because of its ability to alter the Document Object Model (DOM) and build HTML5, it is also increasingly being utilized for developing web-based games. 

Through form validation, JavaScript also plays a role in assuring data accuracy prior to form submission. Finally, it is the foundation for AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), which allows for modifications to particular areas of a webpage without having the full page to reload – a critical feature in modern dynamic web pages.

JavaScript’s flexible typing system, which allows variables to hold different data types during runtime, is one of its features. While this flexibility allows for faster development, developers must be cautious of type-related concerns during execution. JavaScript’s event-driven programming paradigm enables developers to construct event handlers that effectively respond to user inputs. This widely used programming language is ideal for creating interactive, engaging, and responsive web sites.

JavaScript Code Pros:
Dynamic Nature: JavaScript’s dynamic nature enables developers to create interactive web pages efficiently and cater to modifications with ease
Browser Support: All web browsers support JavaScript making it an accepted language for web development.
JavaScript Libraries and Frameworks: The extensive array of libraries and frameworks for JavaScript streamlines the development process.

JavaScript Code Cons:
Dynamic Typing Issues: Can result in runtime errors that may not be detected until execution.
Async Complexity: JavaScript’s asynchronous nature can lead to complex code and potential bugs.
Spaghetti Code: Can be difficult to manage the codebase of large projects

To ease interoperability with existing systems and environments, the TypeScript compiler trans-compiles TypeScript into JavaScript during the compilation process. This transcompilation procedure ensures that the code is still compatible with all web browsers and JavaScript environments. Developers can confidently use JavaScript capabilities, and TypeScript will seamlessly translate them to a platform-independent version. Furthermore, TypeScript services like autocompletion, code navigation, and refactoring help developers even more during the development process, making TypeScript an even more powerful tool for modern web development.

What is TypeScript?

TypeScript is an addition to JavaScript that aims to improve its capabilities by incorporating strong, static typing, making it a more powerful and intuitive language. TypeScript, as an object-oriented programming language, gives developers tools for writing clean, organized, and reusable code, which is especially useful for large-scale projects. Its goal is to overcome the issues that large-scale JavaScript projects encounter by providing developers with tools for clean code organization, error detection, and code documentation. Classes, interfaces, and namespaces are TypeScript features that build on the foundations of JavaScript, maintaining compatibility with current libraries and codebases while introducing new elements that improve code quality and maintainability.

The goal of developing this scripting language was not to replace JavaScript, but to supplement it with typing and other features available in statically typed languages. Notably, every legitimate JavaScript code (an interpreted language) is also TypeScript code. Because of this seamless compatibility, developers may progressively include TypeScript into their existing JavaScript projects, allowing for a smooth transition without requiring a total rewrite.

Typing support is one of TypeScript’s notable features, allowing developers to explicitly declare types during development. This allows type-related problems to be caught at compile time rather than runtime, resulting in more resilient and bug-free programming. While JavaScript’s nature of catching problems at runtime necessitates substantial usage of JavaScript debugging tools, TypeScript’s early error detection capability reduces the need for heavy debugging later in the development process. Static typing also improves code description, making it easier for developers to understand the meaning and intended usage of variables and functions.

TypeScript Code Pros:
Static Typing: TypeScript’s static typing feature helps identify errors during compilation resulting in bug-free code.
Improved Tooling: The presence of types enhances IDE features like auto-completion and refactoring making development easier.
Code Readability: TypeScript’s type annotations enhance code documentation and make the code more readable.

TypeScript Code Cons:
Learning Curve: Developers who are familiar with JavaScript may require some time to adjust to the typing rules of TypeScript.
Development Time: Adding type annotations may slightly increase development time. It often leads to maintainable code in the long run.