Why You Need TypeScript (Even If You Think You Don’t)

If you’ve been building apps with JavaScript, you’ve probably run into this:

Everything is working fine… until it’s not.
Somewhere in your app, one unexpected value slips through — and suddenly, features start breaking.

JavaScript won’t stop you from doing this:

• Passing a string when a function expected a number

• Sending null to a method that needs an object

• Forgetting a property name and not finding out until the app runs

It’s like building a house with no blueprint.
Sure, you can build it — but you won’t know something’s wrong until the roof falls in.

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The TypeScript Difference

TypeScript adds a type system to JavaScript.
Think of it like a safety net for your code:

• Catches errors while you type — before you even run the code

• Makes your code self-documenting — you instantly know what goes in and comes out of a function

• Helps with refactoring — change one thing and TypeScript tells you everywhere it breaks

It doesn’t replace JavaScript — it is JavaScript, but with extra tools to protect you from yourself (and others).

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A Real-World Example

Imagine you’re building a user profile system for a SaaS dashboard:

JavaScript version

function sendWelcomeEmail(user) {
  return `Email sent to ${user.email.toLowerCase()}`;
}

// Works fine...
sendWelcomeEmail({ email: "dhruvburada@gmail.com" });

// Until one day...
sendWelcomeEmail({ username: "dhruvburada" }); 
// Runtime error: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'toLowerCase')

JavaScript lets you call the function even when the object doesn’t have an email property — and you only find out after the code runs, maybe even in production.

TypeScript version

function sendWelcomeEmail(user: { email: string }) {
  return `Email sent to ${user.email.toLowerCase()}`;
}

sendWelcomeEmail({ email: "dhruvburada@gmail.com" }); // ✅ Works
sendWelcomeEmail({ username: "dhruvburada" }); 
// TS Warns you: Property 'email' is missing in type '{ username: string }'

With TypeScript, the error is caught before you even press save — no broken features for your users, no midnight debugging.

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Why It Matters in the Real World

Let’s say you’re working on an e-commerce checkout:

• A backend change sends price as a string instead of a number

• JavaScript happily accepts it — until the final calculation fails for thousands of users

• TypeScript? It would’ve stopped you the moment you tried to treat a string like a number

Catching that early means:

• Less time debugging

• Fewer angry users

• More confidence when shipping updates

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My Journey

I started learning TypeScript because I picked up Angular.
At first, it felt like “extra work.”
Now? I can’t imagine building anything serious without it.

Thanks to Hitesh Choudhary for his TypeScript series — his teaching style made it click instantly.

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