Hey! I’ve recently started my front-end development journey, and I wanted to share my experience transitioning from pure JavaScript to TypeScript on a React project. As someone who has been learning React for the past few months, I discovered why everyone is talking about TypeScript.
My first step using TypeScript
When I first started learning React, I was comfortable with JavaScript and honestly wondered why I should bother with TypeScript. Most job postings I see require TypeScript experience, but I’m a little scared. Then I built my first React project using just JavaScript, and well… let’s just say debugging became my full-time job. I spent hours tracking down simple prop type errors that could have been caught earlier.
That frustrating experience prompted me to try TypeScript. Setting up my first TypeScript project was easy:
Here’s a simple example of how I started using TypeScript in my widgets:
bash
npx create-react-app my-first-ts-app –template typescript interface
UserCardProps {
name: string;
age: number;
isActive: boolean;
}
const UserCard = ({ name, age, isActive }: UserCardProps) => {
return (
{name}
Age: {age}
Status: {isActive ? "Active" : "Inactive"}
);
};
learning curve
Honestly, the learning curve is real. I remember staring at the screen for an hour, trying to figure out why my map feature wasn’t working with custom types. Don’t even get me started on generic drugs! But every small victory makes me more confident.
Some challenges I faced:
Understand the difference between types and interfaces
Learn how to enter API responses
Using event handlers in TypeScript
Handle empty/undefined checks
what works for me
The biggest change is the improvement of the developer experience. Having my editor tell me exactly what props my component needs instead of looking through runtime errors saves me a lot of time. Plus, the autocomplete suggestions feel like having a coding buddy who remembers all the things I forgot!
The future of TypeScript
Even as a junior developer, I can see TypeScript no longer being a luxury, but becoming a necessity in the front-end world. Judging from the recruitment information, almost every React position requires TypeScript experience. It’s no coincidence that big companies like Airbnb, Microsoft, and Google use TypeScript in their projects.
Even React’s official documentation now includes TypeScript examples, and popular frameworks like Next.js come with TypeScript out of the box. I’m glad I started learning TypeScript because it seems to only become more important in the future.
With the rise of artificial intelligence tools, writing type-safe code seems to have become even more important. The type safety provided by TypeScript is especially valuable in large projects and team collaborations.
I’m still learning, and there’s a lot I don’t know yet, but I can already see why TypeScript has become so popular in the React community. If you’re on the fence about trying TypeScript, I would recommend giving it a try. Start small, accept error messages (they can actually be helpful!), and don’t worry about making everything perfect right away.
Resources that have helped me:
Official documentation for TypeScript (although it can be overwhelming at first)
Matt Pocock’s TypeScript tutorial on YouTube
React TypeScript Cheat Sheet on GitHub
Basarat Ali Syed dives deep into TypeScript
Let’s learn together! Would love to hear about your experiences with TypeScript – especially if you’re just starting out too! 😊