JavaScript vs Typescript: Know the Difference

If you are a developer and have ever had the opportunity to work on a project involving web development, you must have an understanding of how JavaScript operates. The community of software developers has recognized JavaScript as a popular scripting language during the course of its many years of availability on the market.

However, as is common knowledge, whenever a particular technology or language is on the rise, there is always an alternative choice that emerges on the market and provides the leader with a challenging level of competition. TypeScript is the name of the up-and-coming rival that has recently entered the market. We might think of TypeScript as an improved version of JavaScript that comes with additional functionality thanks to the language's growing popularity.

In regards to TypeScript, it is a programming language that is open-source and is used for the development of high-level applications. In the year 2012, one of the most prominent names in the technology industry, Microsoft, created TypeScript. The true motivation behind the development of TypeScript was to better manage applications on a larger scale.

Additionally, Angular is utilising TypeScript for its web development service offerings. According to the findings of the study, almost sixty percent of JavaScript developers are already using TypeScript, and twenty two percent are considering implementing it. Do you know the reason why?

In point of fact, the scripting language that is most commonly used for apps and online sites is called JavaScript. As a result, we are now able to use JavaScript for both the frontend and the backend by combining it with the Node.js and Deno frameworks.

But the real question that has to be asked is whether or not JavaScript was designed for the creation of huge and complicated online applications. It would appear that the answer is NO!

In this article, we are going to contrast these two programming languages, TypeScript and JavaScript, in terms of how they relate to one another, the distinctions between them, and the advantages that each offers.

What is JavaScript?

JavaScript is a text-based programming language that can be used on both the client-side and the server-side to create interactive web pages. JavaScript is utilised in both situations. In contrast to HTML and CSS, which are programming languages that give web pages their structure and appearance, JavaScript adds interactive aspects to web pages that keep a user interested. The search box on Amazon is an example of JavaScript, as is an embedded news recap video on The New York Times and refreshing your Twitter feed. Other examples of JavaScript that you might use on a daily basis include the following:

The incorporation of JavaScript into a web page transforms it from a static page into an interactive page, which in turn improves the user experience of the web page. To summarise, JavaScript is what gives web pages their activity.

​​Features of JavaScript:

The JavaScript programming language has a variety of specialised components. The following is a list of some of the more general characteristics of JavaScript:

1. When working with forms, JavaScript is really helpful. It can check the user input for errors while simultaneously reducing the amount of time spent doing so. Before transmitting the input to the server, JavaScript performs validation checks to ensure that the user has not left any required fields blank or that the information is accurate.
2. Due to the fact that JavaScript is a client-side technology, it is capable of carrying out fundamental calculations within the browser. It is not necessary for the browser to query the server for the time in every single process. When the user wants to carry out these computations on a regular basis, this is a very valuable feature. In these circumstances, the time spent connecting to the server would be far longer than the time spent carrying out the calculations itself.
3. Instead of the browser being wholly reliant on the web servers, JavaScript gives the browser more control over the content it displays. JavaScript enables a variety of browsers to access extra functions, which in turn helps to lessen the burden on servers and the traffic on networks.
4. The issue of compilation and compatibility can now be resolved thanks to the fact that browsers can read JavaScript. Therefore, it is compatible with computers that support Netscape, including Windows and Macintosh. In addition to this, it is possible to embed them in any other script, such as HTML, that continues to make use of JavaScript.
5. JavaScript is highly competent of determining the user's operating system as well as the browser they are using. Even though JavaScript is compatible with every platform, there is still a possibility that we will require the user's browser in order to begin processing. Writing code that, depending on the browser used, produces a variety of distinct outputs is much easier using this feature.
6. JavaScript has included the 'let' and 'const' keywords, both of which can be used in place of the 'var' keyword. In contrast to 'var,' they have a blocked scope, which means that we can only access them within the block that we defined them in. This makes them far more important. 'var', on the other hand, can be accessed outside of a function even if it is initialized while the function is being executed.
7. These functions are quite helpful for simplifying the syntax and cutting down on the number of lines of code for a web page or online application. Due to the fact that their syntax is very simple, it is fairly simple to implement them in JavaScript anonymous functions.
8. This feature of JavaScript helps to prevent the entire programmed from being rendered inoperable due to a simple error. When a developer needs to check the functionality of a function without using any parameters, it is a very handy tool to have.
9. Array functions are not required by any programming language; but, having them can make things easier for the developer. This not only condenses the code but also makes it lot simpler and easier to comprehend. JavaScript supports both a standard array and an associative array, so you can use either one. In a conventional array, the indexes are represented by integer values; however, in an associative array, the indexes can be string values.
10. This functionality, which is ubiquitous in other programming languages and enables you to store variables straight into strings, is available to you here. This turns out to be an essential tool for developers because it enables them to concentrate more on the process of developing the application rather than investing the time necessary to learn the syntax.

What is typescript?

The programming language known as TypeScript is substantially constructed on top of the language known as JavaScript. But why may users put their faith in TypeScript as a programming language?

Let's go into more detail about what TypeScript is and the benefits it offers to people who utilise JavaScript. The JavaScript foundation serves as the basis for TypeScript, which is a compiled, object-oriented, and highly typed programming language. It is a superset of the JavaScript programming language and was developed to provide you with improved tooling on any scale.

Anders Hejlsberg, the designer of C# at Microsoft, is the primary architect behind the TypeScript programming language. TypeScript is an open-source programming language that is supported by Microsoft and is also regarded as a collection of tools. "JavaScript with syntax for types," that's what the TypeScript website describes itself as. In a nutshell, it is just JavaScript with some extra functionality added.

Features of Typescript:

1. Functions may be achieved with TypeScript on any platform that supports JavaScript. It is possible to customize the TypeScript compiler to work with any operating system, including Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux.
2. Classes, interfaces, and modules are some of the strong features offered by TypeScript. For both client-side and server-side development, pure object-oriented code can be written.
3. TypeScript makes advantage of the static typing technique. For this purpose, annotations of the kind are utilised. It makes type checking easier during the compilation process. As a consequence of this, you may be able to notice errors as you input the code rather than having to constantly run your script. In addition, if a variable is defined without a type, the type of the variable will be inferred using the type inference method based on the value of the variable if the variable is defined at all.
4. You can choose to use JavaScript's dynamic typing instead of TypeScript's static type.
5. Similar to JavaScript, TypeScript enables DOM manipulation.
6. The majority of the 2015 ECMAScript (ES 6, 7) features, including classes, interfaces, and Arrow functions, are now present in TypeScript.

JavaScript vs. Typescript:

We must take into account a variety of elements while comparing the two programming languages, TypeScript and JavaScript, including the following:

1. JavaScript is a superset of TypeScript. You should have a fundamental understanding of and familiarity with JavaScript in order to build TypeScript code. Additionally, you should understand the OOPS idea. On the other hand, JavaScript is a well-liked and simple to learn scripting language. Many developers use JavaScript with CSS and HTML to construct web applications. HTML is challenging, though, as it includes event management, web behavior, animations, and scripting.
2. In a short period of time, TypeScript became widely used and was adopted by numerous businesses. On the Internet, there is a ton of tutorials and guides you may use to learn TypeScript. It does, however, have a really vibrant and helpful community. Contrarily, compared to TypeScript, JavaScript doesn't have a sizable user base. Numerous libraries, frameworks, and coding standards are provided by JavaScript. For optimal team performance, it is, therefore, advisable to understand the structure of your web development team that best meets your business goals.
3. As we all know, TypeScript was developed to address the limitations of JavaScript for really sophisticated applications. As a result, TypeScript shortens the development process and boosts developer productivity. The only distinction between TypeScript and JavaScript is the compilation of TypeScript code into JavaScript prior to execution.
4. Variable declaration, the functional paradigm, and the type system are all features that TypeScript offers that JavaScript does not. It resembles JScript and. In terms of syntax, ECMAScript 2015 Standard features including classes, an arrow function syntax, and modules are supported. The ECMAScript definition is followed by JavaScript as well. It is not a typed language like TypeScript, though. It makes extensive use of C's structured programming language, including if statements switch clauses, do-while loops, and many others. It offers functional, imperative, and event-driven programming styles.
5. Microsoft has numerous industry-leading frameworks and editors. It provides error handling during compilation to prevent errors at runtime through a close connection with the editors. On the other hand, there are lots of JavaScript frameworks for web development projects on the market. It is a sizable ecosystem that is well-liked by programmers. Developers with expertise in ReactJS, VueJS, Angular, and other frameworks are simple to discover.
6. In contrast to JavaScript, which is a prototype-based language, TypeScript is regarded as an object-oriented programming language.
7. JavaScript does not support the static typing capability that is available in TypeScript.
8. Interfaces are supported by TypeScript but not by JavaScript.

Conclusion:

JavaScript is a scripting language that aids in the creation of interactive web pages, whereas TypeScript is a modern JavaScript development language. In contrast to JavaScript, which lacks such a concept, TypeScript employs ideas like types and interfaces to describe the data being used. We can conclude this tutorial on the differences between JavaScript and TypeScript by saying that JavaScript is the best option for experienced developers working on relatively small coding projects. However, Typescript is the most preferable solution if you have a development team with experience and ability.