TypeScript Coding Standards
Core Principles
- •Simplicity: Simple, understandable code
- •Readability: Readability over cleverness
- •Maintainability: Code that's easy to maintain
- •Testability: Code that's easy to test
- •DRY: Don't Repeat Yourself - but don't overdo it
General Rules
- •Early Returns: Use early returns to avoid nesting
- •Descriptive Names: Meaningful names for variables and functions
- •Minimal Changes: Only change relevant code parts
- •No Over-Engineering: No unnecessary complexity
- •Minimal Comments: Code should be self-explanatory. No redundant comments!
Naming Conventions
| Element | Convention | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Variables/Functions | camelCase | getUserById, isActive |
| Classes/Interfaces/Types | PascalCase | UserService, ApiClient |
| Constants | UPPER_SNAKE_CASE | MAX_RETRY_COUNT |
| Private | Prefix with _ or # | _internalMethod, #privateField |
| Files | kebab-case or camelCase | user-service.ts, userService.ts |
| Interfaces | No I prefix | User not IUser |
| Type aliases | PascalCase | UserId, HttpMethod |
| Event Handlers | Prefix with handle | handleClick, handleSubmit |
Project Structure
code
myproject/ ├── src/ │ ├── index.ts # Entry point │ ├── config.ts # Settings, env vars │ ├── types/ │ │ └── index.ts # Shared types │ ├── models/ │ │ └── user.ts # Domain models │ ├── services/ │ │ └── user-service.ts # Business logic │ ├── repositories/ │ │ └── user-repo.ts # Data access │ └── utils/ │ └── helpers.ts # Utility functions ├── tests/ │ ├── services/ │ │ └── user-service.test.ts │ └── setup.ts ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json └── README.md
Code Style
typescript
// Use explicit types for function parameters and return values
function getUserById(userId: string): User | undefined {
if (!userId) {
throw new Error("userId cannot be empty");
}
// implementation...
}
// Prefer interfaces for object shapes
interface User {
id: string;
name: string;
email: string;
age?: number;
}
// Use type aliases for unions, intersections, or primitives
type UserId = string;
type HttpMethod = "GET" | "POST" | "PUT" | "DELETE";
type Result<T> = { success: true; data: T } | { success: false; error: string };
Best Practices
typescript
// Prefer const over let
const users: User[] = [];
// Use nullish coalescing and optional chaining
const name = user?.profile?.name ?? "Anonymous";
// Prefer template literals
const message = `Hello, ${user.name}!`;
// Use destructuring
const { id, name, email } = user;
function processUser({ id, name }: User): void { }
// Prefer array methods over loops
const activeUsers = users.filter(u => u.isActive);
const userNames = users.map(u => u.name);
const totalAge = users.reduce((sum, u) => sum + u.age, 0);
// Use readonly for immutable data
interface Config {
readonly apiUrl: string;
readonly maxRetries: number;
}
// Use as const for literal types
const DIRECTIONS = ["north", "south", "east", "west"] as const;
type Direction = typeof DIRECTIONS[number];
// Prefer unknown over any
function parseJson(input: string): unknown {
return JSON.parse(input);
}
// Type guards for type narrowing
function isUser(value: unknown): value is User {
return typeof value === "object" && value !== null && "id" in value;
}
Utility Types
typescript
// Partial<T> - Make all properties optional
type UserUpdate = Partial<User>;
// { id?: string; name?: string; email?: string; age?: number }
// Pick<T, K> - Select specific properties
type UserPreview = Pick<User, "id" | "name">;
// { id: string; name: string }
// Omit<T, K> - Exclude specific properties
type UserWithoutEmail = Omit<User, "email">;
// { id: string; name: string; age?: number }
// Record<K, T> - Object with specific keys and value type
type RolePermissions = Record<"admin" | "user" | "guest", string[]>;
// { admin: string[]; user: string[]; guest: string[] }
// ReturnType<F> - Extract return type of function
type FetchResult = ReturnType<typeof fetchUser>;
// Promise<User | undefined>
// Parameters<F> - Extract parameter types
type FetchParams = Parameters<typeof fetchUser>;
// [userId: string]
// Awaited<T> - Unwrap Promise type
type ResolvedUser = Awaited<ReturnType<typeof fetchUser>>;
// User | undefined
Discriminated Unions
typescript
// Use a common "type" or "status" field as discriminator
type ApiResponse<T> =
| { status: "success"; data: T }
| { status: "error"; error: string }
| { status: "loading" };
function handleResponse(response: ApiResponse<User>) {
switch (response.status) {
case "success":
console.log(response.data.name); // TypeScript knows data exists
break;
case "error":
console.error(response.error); // TypeScript knows error exists
break;
case "loading":
console.log("Loading...");
break;
}
}
// State machines with discriminated unions
type AuthState =
| { state: "idle" }
| { state: "loading" }
| { state: "authenticated"; user: User }
| { state: "error"; message: string };
// Action types for reducers
type UserAction =
| { type: "SET_USER"; payload: User }
| { type: "CLEAR_USER" }
| { type: "UPDATE_NAME"; payload: string };
Runtime Validation with Zod
typescript
import { z } from "zod";
// Define schema
const UserSchema = z.object({
id: z.string().uuid(),
name: z.string().min(1).max(100),
email: z.string().email(),
age: z.number().int().min(0).max(150).optional(),
});
// Infer TypeScript type from schema
type User = z.infer<typeof UserSchema>;
// Validate data (throws on error)
const user = UserSchema.parse(untrustedData);
// Safe validation (returns result object)
const result = UserSchema.safeParse(untrustedData);
if (result.success) {
console.log(result.data); // User
} else {
console.error(result.error.issues);
}
// Common patterns
const ConfigSchema = z.object({
apiUrl: z.string().url(),
timeout: z.number().default(5000),
retries: z.number().min(0).max(10).default(3),
});
// Transform and validate
const EmailSchema = z.string().email().transform((val) => val.toLowerCase());
Async/Await
typescript
// Async function with proper typing
async function fetchUser(userId: string): Promise<User | undefined> {
const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`);
if (!response.ok) return undefined;
return response.json() as Promise<User>;
}
// Use Promise.all for concurrent operations
async function fetchAllUsers(userIds: string[]): Promise<User[]> {
const users = await Promise.all(userIds.map(fetchUser));
return users.filter((user): user is User => user !== undefined);
}
// Handle errors with try/catch
async function safeFetch<T>(url: string): Promise<Result<T>> {
try {
const response = await fetch(url);
const data = await response.json();
return { success: true, data };
} catch (error) {
return { success: false, error: String(error) };
}
}
Error Handling
typescript
// Custom error classes for domain errors
class UserNotFoundError extends Error {
constructor(public readonly userId: string) {
super(`User not found: ${userId}`);
this.name = "UserNotFoundError";
}
}
// Strict vs optional returns
function getUserStrict(userId: string): User {
const user = repository.get(userId);
if (!user) throw new UserNotFoundError(userId);
return user;
}
function getUserOptional(userId: string): User | undefined {
return repository.get(userId);
}
// Result type for explicit error handling
type Result<T, E = Error> =
| { ok: true; value: T }
| { ok: false; error: E };
Comments - Less is More
typescript
// BAD - redundant comment // Get the user from database const user = repository.getUser(userId); // GOOD - self-explanatory code, no comment needed const user = repository.getUser(userId); // GOOD - comment explains WHY (not obvious) // Rate limit: API allows max 1000 requests/min await rateLimiter.acquire();
Recommended Tooling
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
pnpm or bun | Package manager (faster than npm) |
eslint | Linting with TypeScript rules |
prettier | Code formatting |
vitest or jest | Testing framework |
tsx or ts-node | TypeScript execution |
zod | Runtime validation with type inference |
tsconfig.json Recommendations
Note: These are strict settings for new projects. For existing codebases, enable incrementally.
json
{
"compilerOptions": {
"strict": true,
"noUncheckedIndexedAccess": true,
"noImplicitReturns": true,
"noFallthroughCasesInSwitch": true,
"exactOptionalPropertyTypes": true,
"noPropertyAccessFromIndexSignature": true,
"forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
"verbatimModuleSyntax": true
}
}
Production Best Practices
- •Strict mode - Enable
strict: truein tsconfig.json - •Explicit return types - Always declare return types for public functions
- •Avoid any - Use
unknownand type guards instead - •Readonly by default - Use
readonlyandas constfor immutable data - •Discriminated unions - For state management and result types
- •Dependency injection - Pass dependencies explicitly
- •Custom errors - Domain-specific error classes
- •Environment variables - Type-safe config with validation (zod, env-var)
- •Barrel exports - Use index.ts for clean imports
- •Path aliases - Configure
@/paths in tsconfig for cleaner imports
References
- •Utility Types, Discriminated Unions, and Zod sections inspired by moai-lang-typescript by AJBcoding