typescript

name	typescript
description	Apply for any TypeScript project. Covers: strict config, type patterns, generics, discriminated unions, type guards, utility types, and common anti-patterns. Trigger for: TypeScript, TS, types, interfaces, generics.

TYPESCRIPT — Strict Mode Production Patterns

tsconfig — Strict baseline (non-negotiable)

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "strict": true,
    "noUncheckedIndexedAccess": true,
    "exactOptionalPropertyTypes": true,
    "noImplicitReturns": true,
    "noFallthroughCasesInSwitch": true,
    "target": "ES2022",
    "moduleResolution": "bundler"
  }
}

Type vs Interface

// Interface → objects, classes, extendable contracts
interface User { id: string; email: string }
interface AdminUser extends User { role: 'admin' }

// Type → unions, intersections, computed, primitives
type Status = 'pending' | 'running' | 'done' | 'failed'
type ApiResponse<T> = { data: T; timestamp: number } | { error: string }

Discriminated Unions — Replace enums

type JobResult =
  | { status: 'success'; output: string; duration: number }
  | { status: 'failed'; error: string; attempt: number }
  | { status: 'pending' }

function handleResult(result: JobResult) {
  switch (result.status) {
    case 'success': return process(result.output)  // TypeScript knows output exists
    case 'failed':  return retry(result.attempt)   // TypeScript knows attempt exists
    case 'pending': return wait()
  }
}

Generics — When and how

// Repository pattern with generics
interface Repository<T extends { id: string }> {
  findById(id: string): Promise<T | null>
  save(entity: T): Promise<T>
  delete(id: string): Promise<void>
}

// Constrained generics
function first<T extends readonly unknown[]>(arr: T): T[0] | undefined {
  return arr[0]
}

Type Guards

function isUser(value: unknown): value is User {
  return typeof value === 'object' && value !== null &&
    'id' in value && typeof (value as User).id === 'string'
}

// Use for: API responses, localStorage, external data
const raw = JSON.parse(data)
if (isUser(raw)) { /* TypeScript knows it's User */ }

Utility Types — Know these

Partial<User>           // all optional
Required<User>          // all required
Pick<User, 'id'|'email'>
Omit<User, 'password'>
Record<string, number>
Readonly<User>
ReturnType<typeof fetchUser>  // infer return type
Parameters<typeof submitJob>  // infer params

Forbidden

❌ any — use unknown + type guard instead ❌ as casting without guard — use satisfies or guard ❌ ! non-null assertion without certainty ❌ Enums (runtime overhead) — use const objects or discriminated unions ❌ // @ts-ignore — fix the type instead ❌ Function type — always specify signature