Despite their similarities, the distinctions between JavaScript vs TypeScript determine whether one is truly superior to the other.
This article aims to describe the current main differences between the two languages, as well as provide code examples for each. We’ll also discuss if JS and TS are both object-oriented programming (OOP) languages and which one a developer should master.
Let’s Understand JAVA
The most popular programming language in the world is JavaScript (JS). It is a high-level programming language that aids in the creation of interactive and dynamic websites. JavaScript is one of the essential technologies for web applications, alongside HTML and CSS, and is distinguished by its dynamic typing and just-in-time (JIT) compiler.
It also supports functional programming, imperative programming styles, and event-driven programming, making it a multi-paradigm language. When the script executes in the user’s browser, JavaScript uses a client-side implementation. It does, however, have engines that support server-side implementations (scripts run on the webserver, and the answer is tailored to each user’s request).
Because of the development and popularity of Node.js, JavaScript began to stand out as a server-side technology. Nonetheless, dealing with large and complicated applications with JavaScript is difficult since the code becomes more difficult to maintain and reuse as it expands. As a result, despite its advantages, JavaScript on the server (backend) made things messier and more difficult to manage. Microsoft released TypeScript to help with this problem.
Key takeaways from JavaScript
- Most popular programming language;
- Full-fledged, cross-platform, multi-paradigm, dynamic language;
- Client-side and server-side implementation;
- JIT compilation;
- Compatible with all browsers;
- Developed for small scripts.
Let’s Understand TypeScript
Although JavaScript can handle hundreds of lines of code, it was not designed to handle large and complicated applications. As a result, TypeScript (TS) is a superset of JavaScript and serves the same goal. However, because it is tightly typed and includes compile-time error controls, it was designed to handle and develop larger programs.
TypeScript is a programming language that supports both static and dynamic typing, as well as inheritance, classes, visibility scopes, namespaces, interfaces, unions, and other contemporary features. Comments, variables, functions, statements, modules, and expressions are also supported.
Key takeaways from TypeScript
- A superset of JavaScript, thus compatible with JS libraries
- Strongly typed, compiled language, can follow OOP principles
- Easier to debug
- Provides static typing
- Offers full-fledged IDE support
- Can convert its code to JavaScript code
Difference between TypeScript and JavaScript
The first distinction to note is that, whereas JavaScript is a scripting language that aids in the creation of interactive and dynamic web pages, TypeScript is a tightly typed superset of JavaScript.
To summarise, TypeScript is JavaScript enhanced with features designed to overcome limitations in JavaScript, particularly when it comes to static type and code complexity.
Compilation
On the one hand, when utilizing JavaScript, there is no need to compile. Because it is an interpreted language, faults can only be discovered when the program is running. To put it another way, it must first be run in order to be tested and determined whether it is genuine or not. As a result, finding problems and errors in the code may take a long time.
TypeScript, on the other hand, offers a compile-time error mechanism that compiles the code and checks for compilation faults in the syntax, as the name implies. Before running the script, this functionality can save developers a lot of time. It also helps the business, not just the engineers, by preventing some errors from reaching production.
Is JavaScript an object-oriented programming (OOP) language?
ECMAScript is a scripting language standard that includes rules, standards, and other information about what a scripting language should include. JavaScript is a scripting language that adheres to the ECMAScript standards. Because such requirements might change and new ones can be added, there are multiple ECMAScript versions. This version introduced modules, classes, arrow functions, enhanced object properties, and other exciting features.
The concept of classes was introduced with the release of ES6 JavaScript. However, for JavaScript’s prototypal inheritance, this is a syntactic feature. Prototypes, not classes, are used in JS. As a result, despite its ability to follow some object-oriented programming principles, JavaScript is not considered a genuine object-oriented programming language.
Is TypeScript an object-oriented programming (OOP) language?
The solution to this question is a little more complicated. On the one hand, TypeScript includes classes and other capabilities that enable developers to adhere to OOP ideas and approaches.
On the other hand, unlike certain languages (e.g., Java and C#), it is not an opinionated language, meaning it does not “force” the developer to follow object-oriented ideas. As a result, TS is rarely regarded as a pure object-oriented programming language.
How to Start Learning?
Developers must first master JavaScript before they can learn TypeScript. Because both languages share the same syntax and run-time behavior, the more a developer understands JavaScript, the easier it will be to learn TypeScript (except the fact that TS has a compile-time checker).
JavaScript has a large community and a lot of resources because it is the most popular language. Because the way tasks are executed is similar in most circumstances, TypeScript developers can profit from those resources as well.
Conclusion
JavaScript is a fantastic language; if it weren’t, it wouldn’t have remained the most popular for so long. That does not, however, imply that it is flawless (does a perfect programming language even exist?). In JavaScript, things can get chaotic and difficult when dealing with larger projects. As a result, Microsoft created TypeScript.
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