TypeScript Best Practices for 2024

TypeScript has become the de facto standard for building large-scale JavaScript applications. Its static type system catches errors at compile time, improves code documentation, and enables powerful IDE features like intelligent autocomplete.

Use Strict Mode

Always enable strict mode in your tsconfig.json. This enables all strict type checking options, including strictNullChecks, strictFunctionTypes, and noImplicitAny. While it may require more explicit typing, it catches significantly more bugs.

Prefer Type Inference

TypeScript's type inference is remarkably powerful. Instead of explicitly typing everything, let TypeScript infer types where possible. This reduces code verbosity while maintaining type safety.

Key Patterns to Adopt

• •Use discriminated unions for state management
• •Leverage template literal types for string manipulation
• •Implement branded types for domain modeling
• •Use 'satisfies' operator for type validation without widening

Avoid These Anti-Patterns

Resist the urge to use 'any' as an escape hatch. If you need a flexible type, consider using 'unknown' instead, which requires type narrowing before use. Also avoid overusing type assertions (as Type) - they bypass TypeScript's type checking and can hide bugs.