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TypeScript and JavaScript are two popular programming languages used in web development. Although they share similarities, there are some key differences between them. Before diving into their differences let's first define them.
What is Javascript?
JavaScript is a dynamic, interpreted programming language used for web development.
What is Typescript?
Typescript is a statically typed superset of javascript. TypeScript provides all the features and functionalities of JavaScript with some added features and tools.
Differences
Here are some of the main differences between Typescript and Javascript:
Static typing – TypeScript comes with static typing and a type inference system, which means TypeScript requires variables, function parameters, and function returns to have a declared type which in turn helps to catch errors during development and help in code readability. In Javascript on the other hand, variables and function parameters can be declared without specifying their data types. This is known as dynamic typing.
Compilation – Typescript is compiled to JavaScript before it can run on the browser, this helps TypeScript to optimize code and check for errors during the compile time. Javascript on the other hand is an interpreted programming language. There is no compilation involved. Therefore, the errors get caught during the runtime.
Object-Oriented Programming(OOP) - TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript that supports classes, interfaces, and other object-oriented programming features. Although JavaScript supports OOP, it is not as robust as TypeScript's implementation.
Code editor support - IDEs or code editors like VS Code strongly support Typescript and provide autocomplete, refactoring, error checking and other features to help developers write cleaner and more efficient code. JavaScript is also well-supported by code editors, with many of the same features available as TypeScript However, because JavaScript is dynamically typed, code editors are not able to provide as robust error checking as they can with TypeScript.
Conclusion
In summary, TypeScript offers several advantages over JavaScript, including improved type-checking, OOP features, and code editor support. However, the choice between TypeScript and JavaScript will depend on the specific needs of a given project and the preferences of the developer. I would however strongly recommend Javascript developers to learn Typescript as learning Typescript can help you write more reliable and maintainable code. Happy coding!