TypeScript has become the de facto standard for serious web development. According to the 2025 State of JS survey, over 80% of professional developers now use TypeScript, and adoption continues to grow.
What Is TypeScript?
TypeScript is a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript. It adds static type checking, interfaces, generics, and other features that help you write more reliable code without changing how JavaScript works at runtime.
Why TypeScript Matters
Catch Bugs at Compile Time
The most immediate benefit: TypeScript catches entire categories of bugs before your code runs. Typos in property names, wrong argument types, missing null checks — these are caught instantly by the compiler.
```typescript
interface User {
id: string;
name: string;
email: string;
}
function sendEmail(user: User) {
// TypeScript ensures user.email exists and is a string
console.log(`Sending to ${user.email}`);
}
// This would cause a compile error:
sendEmail({ id: "1", name: "John" }); // Missing 'email'
```
Supercharged Developer Experience
TypeScript powers intelligent autocomplete, inline documentation, and automated refactoring in modern editors like VS Code. This isn't just convenience — it measurably increases development speed.
Self-Documenting Code
Types serve as living documentation. When you see a function signature, you know exactly what it expects and what it returns — no need to dig through implementation details or hope the JSDoc is up to date.
Fearless Refactoring
Renaming a property? Changing a function signature? TypeScript tells you every single place in your codebase that needs to be updated. Large-scale refactors become safe and systematic instead of terrifying.
TypeScript in the Modern Stack
Next.js
Next.js has first-class TypeScript support. Types for pages, API routes, middleware, and configuration are built in. The framework infers types for data fetching functions and server components.
React
TypeScript with React provides typed props, state, refs, and event handlers. Component interfaces become self-documenting contracts that prevent misuse.
APIs
Shared type definitions between frontend and backend (monorepo or code generation) eliminate an entire class of integration bugs. When an API response shape changes, TypeScript flags every affected consumer immediately.
Best Practices
Strict Mode
Always enable `strict: true` in your `tsconfig.json`. This enables the full suite of type checks including strict null checks, no implicit any, and strict function types.
Avoid `any`
Using `any` defeats the purpose of TypeScript. When you truly don't know a type, use `unknown` and narrow it with type guards. Reserve `any` for temporary migration code.
Leverage Utility Types
TypeScript provides powerful built-in utility types: `Partial
Use Zod for Runtime Validation
Types exist only at compile time. For runtime validation (API inputs, form data, external data), use Zod to create schemas that provide both runtime validation and TypeScript types from a single source of truth.
Why We Use TypeScript at RCB Software
Every project we build uses TypeScript in strict mode. The upfront investment in types pays dividends in fewer bugs, faster onboarding, and safer refactoring. Combined with modern tooling like ESLint, Prettier, and Zod, TypeScript gives us confidence that our code works correctly — before it ever reaches production.