TypeScript Best Practices for Large-Scale Applications

Anupam Chauhan
2 min read
TypeScript

TypeScript is a powerful language that brings static typing to JavaScript. For large-scale applications, following best practices is essential.

1. Use Advanced Types

TypeScript's type system is powerful. Leverage:

// Generic types for reusable components
type Props<T> = {
  data: T[]
  isLoading: boolean
  error?: Error
}
 
// Conditional types
type ApiResponse<T> = {
  success: true
  data: T
} | {
  success: false
  error: string
}

2. Organize by Feature

// types/auth/index.ts
export interface User {
  id: string
  email: string
}
 
// types/auth/permissions.ts
export interface Permission {
  role: 'admin' | 'user'
  }

3. Use Type Guards

function isUser(value: unknown): value is User {
  return (
    typeof value === 'object' &&
    value !== null &&
    'id' in value &&
    'email' in value
  )
}

4. Avoid any

// ❌ Avoid
function process(data: any) { }
 
// ✅ Use generics
function process<T>(data: T): T { }

5. Leverage Utility Types

type Partial<T> = {
  [P in keyof T]?: T[P]
}
 
type Required<T> = {
  [P in keyof T]-?: T[P]
}

6. Type Your API Responses

interface ApiResponse<T> {
  data: T
  message: string
  timestamp: number
}

Following these practices will help you maintain type safety and catch errors early in development.