TypeScript vs JavaScript: Which One is Best?

In today’s web development world, JavaScript and TypeScript are two popular programming languages that are used for creating websites. JavaScript is the backbone of web development and has been used by beginners and experienced developers for many years. TypeScript is a newer language developed by Microsoft. It is built on top of JavaScript and has amazing features that help developers write clean and secure code. In this blog, you will learn all about JavaScript and TypeScript with their features, advantages, and disadvantages, most importantly, the difference between JavaScript and TypeScript.

Table of Contents:

• What is JavaScript?
  • Features of JavaScript
• What is TypeScript?
  • Features of TypeScript
• TypeScript vs JavaScript
• When to Use JavaScript?
• Advantages of Using JavaScript
• Disadvantages of Using JavaScript
• When to Use TypeScript?
• Advantages of Using TypeScript
• Disadvantages of Using TypeScript
• Conclusion

What is JavaScript?

JavaScript is defined as the programming language that is used to create interactive websites. It is one of the core technologies of web development and allows you to do things like clicking on buttons, filling forms, creating pop-up messages over the website, and loading new content without refreshing the page.

Features of JavaScript

JavaScript is important for beginners who have just started learning web development because it has multiple important features. Let’s discuss all the features one by one in detail:

1. Lightweight and Fast: It is a lightweight language, which means JavaScript code doesn’t take a large amount of space in memory and directly executes in the web browser.
2. Runs in the Browser: It is one of the important features of JavaScript that it executes directly on the web browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
3. Versatile Use: Initially, it was only created for doing front-end web development. But now, it serves multiple purposes. It is used in writing the backend logic and also for creating desktop applications.
4. Dynamic Typing: In JavaScript, you don’t need to declare a variable type (like number or float). This allows you to write code quickly.
5. Object Oriented and Functional: JavaScript supports both object-oriented programming and functional programming, which means it works with objects and classes, or also uses functions to build logic.

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What is TypeScript?

TypeScript is defined as a programming language that is built on top of JavaScript. In other words, TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, but with extra features like type checking, which means it can help you find mistakes in your code. TypeScript is created by Microsoft and mainly used for building large-scale websites.

Features of TypeScript

TypeScript is built on top of JavaScript and offers some more features to use in building web development projects. Here are some important features of TypeScript:

1. Static Type Checking: TypeScript checks your code while you’re writing it and points out mistakes in the code at the same time.
2. Type Annotations: You can tell TypeScript what kind of data a variable should hold. In other words, TypeScript allows you to define the data type of the variable.
3. Object-Oriented Programming: TypeScript also supports objects, classes, interfaces, and other object-oriented programming concepts.
4. Compiles to JavaScript: TypeScript code doesn’t directly run on the browser, it first goes to the TypeScript compiler, this compiler converts the TypeScript code into regular JavaScript.
5. Strong Community: TypeScript is created by Microsoft and used by most developers around the world. Thus, it has strong community support for beginners who have just started learning TypeScript.

TypeScript vs JavaScript

JavaScript is a popular programming language used for writing frontend and backend code, while TypeScript is built on top of JavaScript and has more features than JavaScript. Here are the important differences between TypeScript and JavaScript:

When to Use JavaScript?

JavaScript is a dynamic programming language that is used for multiple purposes. Here are some scenarios where JavaScript is used:

1. JavaScript is used for creating interactive websites, which means JavaScript allows you to create buttons that do something when clicked, dropdown menus, sliders, and animations.
2. It is used for validating form data on websites. Validating data means checking whether the input data is correct or not.
3. JavaScript is used to fetch and display data without refreshing or reloading the page. This is called the AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML).
4. It is used for creating websites and mobile applications by using frameworks like React Native or Electron.js.
5. You can create simple browser-based games, and also create visual effects and animations by using JavaScript.

Advantages of Using JavaScript

JavaScript is one of the most popular languages used for creating websites. Here are some important advantages of using JavaScript:

• It runs faster on the web browser because it is executed directly on the client device.
• JavaScript has a simple syntax, which means it is easy to learn and use for beginners.
• It is platform independent, which means it works on every device that has a browser.

Disadvantages of Using JavaScript

Here are some disadvantages of using JavaScript in developing web and mobile applications:

• Since JavaScript runs directly on the browser, which means it’s not secure and can be a target for hackers if the developer didn’t write the code properly.
• It slows down the performance of the application if used too much in the code.
• All browsers didn’t handle the JavaScript in the same way. Thus, it is necessary to check the website’s compatibility in all browsers.

When to Use TypeScript?

You should use TypeScript for writing secure and efficient code. Here are some scenarios where TypeScript is used:

1. As your project grows, the number of files also increases. TypeScript helps you in managing a large codebase and working on large projects.
2. It allows you to work in collaborative environments. TypeScript helps everyone to stay on the same page by ensuring that data types are correct.
3. It helps in catching mistakes while writing code, which means TypeScript tells the developer where they have made a mistake in the code.
4. TypeScript helps in building scalable applications, which means you can add more and more features easily over time, in your application.

Advantages of Using TypeScript

TypeScript offers various important features to developers that help them write more efficient code. Here are some important advantages of using TypeScript:

• It catches the mistakes and bugs early in the code and allows you to write clean and efficient code.
• With the help of TypeScript, you can tell the computer what kind of data you want, like a number, a string, or objects.
• It is mostly used for doing large-scale projects and working in collaborative teams.

Disadvantages of Using TypeScript

It offers several advantages, but also comes with some disadvantages. Here are some disadvantages of using TypeScript in the project:

• TypeScript doesn’t run directly on the browser. You have to use the TypeScript compiler to first convert it into JavaScript.
• If you’re new to programming, then learning TypeScript may be hard for you in the initial steps.
• TypeScript requires some extra setup, which means using TypeScript requires some configuration in your project.

Conclusion

Both JavaScript and TypeScript are important for building websites and web applications. JavaScript is the most popular programming language for writing frontend and backend code. JavaScript is mostly used for making both small and large-scale projects. On the other hand, TypeScript offers you more features as compared to JavaScript and is used for building large-scale applications. Understanding the difference between TypeScript and JavaScript helps you to choose the right language to learn.

TypeScript vs JavaScript – FAQs