What is tsc?
The `tsc` npm package is the TypeScript compiler, which is used to compile TypeScript code into JavaScript. It provides a variety of functionalities including type checking, transpiling TypeScript to JavaScript, and generating declaration files.
What are tsc's main functionalities?
Transpile TypeScript to JavaScript
This command takes a TypeScript file (`input.ts`) and compiles it into a JavaScript file (`output.js`).
tsc input.ts --outFile output.js
Type Checking
This command performs type checking on the TypeScript files in the project without emitting any JavaScript output. It is useful for ensuring type safety.
tsc --noEmit
Generate Declaration Files
This command generates a declaration file (`output.d.ts`) for the given TypeScript file (`input.ts`). Declaration files are useful for providing type information to other TypeScript projects.
tsc input.ts --declaration --outFile output.d.ts
Watch Mode
This command runs the TypeScript compiler in watch mode, which means it will recompile the project whenever a file changes. This is useful for development workflows.
tsc --watch
Project Compilation
This command compiles a TypeScript project based on the configuration specified in the `tsconfig.json` file. It allows for more complex project setups and configurations.
tsc --project tsconfig.json
Other packages similar to tsc
babel
Babel is a JavaScript compiler that can also transpile TypeScript to JavaScript. Unlike `tsc`, Babel focuses more on transforming modern JavaScript syntax and features to be compatible with older environments. It requires additional plugins to handle TypeScript.
esbuild
esbuild is an extremely fast JavaScript bundler and minifier that also supports TypeScript. It is known for its speed and efficiency, but it does not perform type checking like `tsc` does.
swc
swc (Speedy Web Compiler) is a super-fast TypeScript/JavaScript compiler written in Rust. It can be used to transpile TypeScript to JavaScript and is known for its performance. However, like esbuild, it does not perform type checking.