Every business needs an application, but nobody needs a simple and boring application!
In the present world, where an application is the face and essence of a business, how can one compromise with the way an application looks or functions?
A simple application neither gains traction nor helps in scaling the business to new limits!
And as time progresses, the need to become more efficient, impressive, and functional online is also growing rapidly!
And that certainly puts pressure on the development team to do more research, come up with unique ideas, and work even harder to develop an application that has everything that a client wants!
To do that, developers use multiple combinations of technologies that help them deliver on promise!
And one such combination that is popularly used in the technical world is React and TypeScript!
But first, let’s get to know both technologies –
What is React?
React, or React JS, is a JavaScript library used for developing user interfaces.
The technology is mainly used for front-end development, but in some cases, it can be used for back-end development as well!
React has powerful libraries that allow developers to develop large web applications with reusable components, efficient rendering, and seamless interactivity!
It employs a component-based architecture, which means that different components can be reused to develop complex interfaces. React develops a virtual DOM (Document Object Model) for updating it when necessary, which is great for constructing complex and interactive applications.
Whether there is a need to develop a simple website or a complex one, both are made possible with the help of React! For developers looking to optimize their React applications, there are various techniques available.
For more detailed information on this topic, you can check out this blog on React app optimization techniques.
What is TypeScript?
TypeScript is known as the superset of JavaScript!
It is built on top of JavaScript, which means that it has added features that JavaScript doesn’t.
One of the best parts about TypeScript is that it has static typing, which means you can specify the kind or type of data that your code deals with!
This helps developers catch errors early and makes code cleaner and better organized.
You can also convert TypeScript code into regular JavaScript code before it runs, which can help these codes work anywhere JavaScript works!
Overall, TypeScript is a better version of JavaScript with clean code and more tools that can also be versatile in use.
Now let’s get back to – Why TypeScript and React are used together!
Why are React and TypeScript used together?
This combination has been used these days more than any other combination, and there is a strong reason for it!
The combination of React and TypeScript makes the overall development process more efficient, reliable, and connected!
React is efficient and flexible and is used in developing the user interface of an application, while TypeScript is more like a development buddy that checks everything twice every time you code.
To make things go well, you need excellent capability, tools, and the need for clean code, which is possible with this combination.
But this is not it – there are multiple reasons behind – and some of them are as follows –
Catch Errors before they go live
This is a feature of TypeScript to make certain you reduce the likelihood of utilizing an erroneous type in your React code.
And so, if for example, you attempt to input a number in a place where a string is supposed to go, TypeScript may say, “You cannot do that.”
This is useful because later, you may forget that certain parameters may only accept certain types and you may end up debugging your application for hours.
Helps in writing Clean and Organized Code
TypeScript has cool features such as autocompletion and on-the-fly error reporting included.
Some of the positive features are that it is like having your coding buddy who helps you get it right every time you are coding.
This renders coding in React as less challenging and more engaging since it eliminates many possibilities of errors.
Manage Complexity better as projects are quite complex
Of course, there are moments when your application becomes more complex, and this applies to the React world.
TypeScript provides the following benefits,
The language helps you keep things ordered due to the clear guidelines on how different parts of the code should work.
This was helpful because it allowed them to add new features, or modify some of the existing ones, without interfering with other parts of the program.
Helps you understand the code better
TypeScript used the type annotations to give extra message providing information about different sections of your code.
This is very useful particularly if you are coding alone, or in a group of programmers or even if you have gone back to the same code after days.
This is like having directions that one can follow when going through a code system.
It is not wrong to say that – TypeScript is the best buddy React could have ever asked for!
They are the dream team for developers – which makes developing big and complex application processes easy and informative!
But this is not the combination that is used for every application!
So, what are the applications that are developed using this combination – let’s find out!
When are React and TypeScript used together?
Well, this combo is sure a great one – but not that great for every project or for every application!
But still this combination is like a rockstar for the type of application below –
Big Projects
Considering the huge-scale projects, TypeScript’s safeguarding becomes even more beneficial to developers. It assists you with keeping your code quality high and to not let bugs into your app under the wire.
Generally, this type of safety is important in large projects and technical systems with numerous developers and extensive sets of code or libraries, in which nobody wants to make changes first that may break another part of the program for others.
Multiple Developers/Teams Projects
While we know that TypeScript produces fast programs, the relative clarity of the language’s rules and the frequent use of documentation-like annotations also make it easy for teams to coordinate, which may be even more important in the long run.
With uncertainty, especially on what steps to follow, this helps eliminate confusion and hence a lot of time will not be used up.
This is a way of securing that those team members who join will be able to go through the existing code and come up with their own contribution.
This makes code reviews less difficult because the functions and components with type definitions demonstrate more about what is aiming to be used and where the possible problems may be located.
Long-term Use Applications
When it comes to building an application that you are planning to update over the years, then React with TypeScript will work best for you.
It prepares You for success – It accurately lays down the groundwork which is more manageable to maintain and build upon when your application is in development.
If you are extending the functionality to add new features, or if you are refactoring the code to improve the existing features, then TypeScript is a great way of making sure that these processes do not affect other parts of an application in a negative way.
This is even more critical for apps that will still be used in the next five to ten years, where finding a way to maintain the solid standards of the codebase is valuable.
Complex UI Applications
When developing applications with intricate UI and UX patterns, TypeScript adds to the ability of managing the application’s complexity given practices of props and state.
This ensures that the program does not encounter runtime errors while running which hampers the user’s engagement with the program.
API-Heavy Applications
When you integrate your application with several external APIs, then TypeScript will help you define how those APIs responses will look like.
This makes it convenient to use and manage data from these APIs, and this minimizes the likelihood of hitches in working with data from these APIs caused by format differences.
It is something to note – though these applications can be developed using this combination – but based on the requirement the development teams can choose any other tech-stack or combination of technologies as well!
In Conclusion
The technical world is constantly trying to make the development process simple, seamless, and reduce the errors that usually cause time and problems for applications during and after development!
React and TypeScript have opened one such world for developers that they are leveraging as much as possible!
And why not? When the development process can be fun, safe, and innovative, anyone would like to enjoy that part!
The only thing that matters now is how the developers like to use it!
Because the way they utilize technology makes the whole difference!
Both React and JavaScript are popular technologies—used massively these days—and TypeScript has added that pinch of spice that makes the recipe even more delicious!
For big brands that are looking for a tech stack for an application that has the power to handle a massive audience and can look good too, React and TypeScript can be something that they should keep in mind.
Author Bio
Varixkumar Patel is the Founder and CEO of Covrize. With 20+ years of industry experience, he has a deep understanding of Tech Industry Operations. Varix has played a critical role in the growth of two of the Software Majors in Ahmedabad and is adhering to the same for Covrize. Connect with Varix onLinkedIn.
Josephine Floyd is a marketing head at L&S Turnkey. He is an experienced marketing leader with over 12 years of experience in the plumbing industry. With extensive knowledge of severe water damage, mold damage, and fire damage, as well as general plumbing services, he writes articles about water and flood damage repair and restoration along with heating installation, maintenance, and repair to make readers aware of the potential risk and quick actions they can take to reduce damage. Keep reading his latest articles to have an understanding of whether your plumbing system is intact or not; if not, what you should do to fix it.