Transform TypeScript into JavaScript with JS Toolbox

Transforming TypeScript into JavaScript

TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript that adds features like type-checking, classes, and interfaces to the JavaScript language. While TypeScript code can be directly executed in web browsers, it typically needs to be “transpiled” (or translated) into JavaScript code for browsers to understand it. In this article, we’ll look at how you can use the TypeScript transpiler to transform TypeScript code into JavaScript code.

Why Should You Transform TypeScript into JavaScript?

TypeScript is a powerful language that adds features to JavaScript. But since many web browsers don’t yet support TypeScript natively, you need to transform your TypeScript code into JavaScript before you can run it in the browser. Transpiling your TypeScript code allows you to use the latest JavaScript features while still having the safety of type-checks.

Using the TypeScript Transpiler

The best way to transform TypeScript into JavaScript is to use the official TypeScript transpiler. It’s available as a command-line tool as well as an API that can be used from within your code. In this section, we’ll look at how to use the TypeScript transpiler to transform TypeScript code into JavaScript.

Command Line Usage

The TypeScript transpiler can be installed via npm by running the following command:

npm install -g typescript

Once it’s installed, you can run it on your TypeScript code using the following command:

tsc my-typescript-file.ts

This will create a JavaScript file named my-typescript-file.js. The JavaScript file will contain the transformed version of the TypeScript code that can now be executed in browsers.

Using the TypeScript API

In addition to the command-line tool, the TypeScript transpiler also provides an API that can be used to programmatically transform TypeScript code into JavaScript. To use it, you first need to install the TypeScript package as a dependency by running the following command:

npm install --save-dev typescript

Once you have it installed, you can use the following code to transpile a TypeScript file into JavaScript:

import * as ts from 'typescript';

const source = `console.log('Hello, world!');`;

const result = ts.transpile(source);

console.log(result);

Running this code will create a string containing the transpiled JavaScript code which can then be executed in web browsers.

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at how you can use the TypeScript transpiler to transform TypeScript code into JavaScript code. We discussed why you should do this and saw how it can be done using both the command-line tool and the TypeScript API.