TypeScript: How It Changed the Way I Write Frontend Code

Over the past two years, TypeScript has become an essential part of my frontend workflow. Before that, I wrote all my Vue code in plain JavaScript. It worked, but once I adopted TypeScript seriously, I realized how much more productive, confident, and efficient I could be. This article is a reflection on that journey, the challenges, and the benefits that made me stick with it.

Why I Started Using TypeScript

At first, I was hesitant. TypeScript looked verbose and somewhat intimidating. I had worked on a few projects that used it partially, and I didn’t see the big deal. But then I joined a product team where TS was the standard. I had to adapt — and that’s when everything changed.

In the beginning, it felt like I was spending more time writing types than building features. But as the project grew, I began to see the real power of TypeScript. Code became self-documenting. Refactoring became safer. Collaboration was easier.

Type Safety: Catching Bugs Before They Happen

One of the biggest benefits TypeScript brought to my workflow is type safety. Catching errors at compile time saved countless hours of debugging. For example:

interface UserProfile {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  isActive: boolean;
}

const getUserName = (user: UserProfile) => user.name;

Without TypeScript, if someone accidentally passed null or an object missing a name, I’d only find out at runtime. With TypeScript, I get an instant warning.

This is especially useful in large-scale applications where the codebase is constantly evolving. Instead of relying on memory or documentation, the types become a contract between different parts of the app.

Better Developer Experience

TypeScript has made me faster, not slower. With full autocompletion, smart suggestions, and inline documentation in VS Code, I write code with fewer errors and more confidence.

Real example: I worked on a Nuxt 3 landing page for my glamping business. The app had custom components, composables, API calls, and conditional layouts. With TypeScript, the IDE would help me:

• Know exactly what props a component needed.

• Autocomplete function names from custom composables.

• Get helpful type errors if I passed the wrong values to a method.

All of this resulted in smoother development and fewer bugs in production.

Scalability: TypeScript Keeps the Team on the Same Page

As a developer with 7+ years of experience, I've worked on both small pet projects and large-scale products. In team environments, TypeScript truly shines.

In a recent collaboration, I joined a remote team working on a complex dashboard. TypeScript allowed me to dive into unfamiliar code with confidence. Thanks to well-defined interfaces and types, I could instantly understand how data flowed across the app.

The communication between frontend and backend was also more predictable. When we used auto-generated types from the backend (via OpenAPI or GraphQL), it reduced the risk of mismatches.

Vue 3 + TypeScript: A Perfect Match

At first, writing Vue components in TS felt tricky, especially with defineComponent and setup scripts. But Vue 3’s <script setup lang="ts"> syntax changed everything.

Now, with Composition API and TS support out of the box, it feels natural to:

• Define props and emits with types.

• Use ref<T>() and reactive<T>() with proper inference.

• Create reusable composables with strict input/output types.

This makes it easier to test, reuse, and scale the codebase.

Common Patterns I Use

Here are a few real-world TypeScript patterns I use daily:

1. Utility Types

type WithId<T> = T & { id: number };

Useful for creating variants of entities like WithId<User> or WithId<Product>.

2. Narrowing with in or typeof

function log(value: string | number) {
  if (typeof value === 'string') {
    console.log('String:', value);
  } else {
    console.log('Number:', value);
  }
}

Perfect for safely handling union types.

3. Enum-Like Behavior

const Status = {
  Draft: 'DRAFT',
  Published: 'PUBLISHED',
} as const;

type Status = (typeof Status)[keyof typeof Status];

This pattern ensures I don’t mistype a status value anywhere in the app.

Final Thoughts

After two years with TypeScript, I can say this: I’ll never go back.

It's not just about catching bugs — it’s about writing more maintainable, understandable, and collaborative code. If you’re building anything long-term or working with a team, TypeScript is a no-brainer.

Yes, there’s a learning curve. But the return on investment is absolutely worth it.

Let me know if you'd like me to share examples from real projects, or if you have any questions about TypeScript in Vue or Nuxt development!