React is a library launched by Facebook. Angular is a framework derived from Google. There’s a lot of analysis comparing them. In general, Angular is in the lead, and vue.js is getting a lot of attention. Angular is popular among TypeScript users, with 41% preferring the 2.x version and 18% preferring older versions. With the recent release of Angular 4 and the growing popularity of TypeScript, we expect the JavaScript wars to continue (Lawrence Hecht).

The number of libraries with TypeScript type definitions is also growing steadily. DefinitelyTyped, a repository that maintains TypeScript type definitions, now contains more than 3,000 frameworks and libraries. This process is greatly accelerated by publishing the declaration file as an NPM package under the @type namespace.

“That means there is now a way to predict which frameworks support types — we can provide those types automatically. When we find that you refer to a particular framework, we can help you find the type definition so you don’t have to look for it yourself.” In fact, Hejlsberg claims, “For some developers, whether or not a framework has a type definition has become a deciding factor in their choice of framework.”

“The way TypeScript is usually adopted — whether it’s corporate, entrepreneurial, or individual developers — is that you try it out on a project and find out it’s great, and then you start recommending it to others. That’s how it spreads in your sphere of influence.” – Anders Hejlsberg

Increased attention seems to be one reason for user growth. “We haven’t done any promotion, it’s all community driven. It’s actually growing steadily, and we’re starting to notice it growing faster now.” Hejlsberg said.

Hejlsberg points out that TypeScript is still the third most popular language in Stack Overflow surveys after Rust and Smalltalk (ahead of Swift and Go) and the sixth most talk-hungry language, Ahead of C# and Swift. “I think it says a lot that we’ve really solved the real problem,” Hejlsberg said.

Microsoft’s reach

It’s easy to see TypeScript’s success as the result of Microsoft introducing JavaScript to enterprise developers already in the Microsoft world through familiar tools.

“We have a large developer ecosystem around C#, C++, and Visual Basic. A lot of companies that use Microsoft tools also have a need for the front end, and when we started to improve the front end, they sat down, took notice, and started using it.” Hejlsberg admits.

However, while much of TypeScript development is done in Visual Studio, as much is done using Visual Studio Code, Microsoft’s open source, cross-platform IDE. “It was a community that we didn’t have a lot of connection to. In the case of Visual Studio Code, half of our users were from non-Windows systems, so suddenly we were connected to a developer community that we hadn’t had much contact with before.”

Open Source Fast Track

The TypeScript team recently announced that it would release every two months instead of every quarter, and Heljsberg called for making release dates more predictable rather than delayed to add a new feature. This is what the ECMAScript Committee is doing.

The new release pace will also align with Visual Studio Code, partly because Visual Studio Code is developed in TypeScript, but more importantly because tools are a big part of TypeScript’s appeal.

While TypeScript’s support for multiple editors and ides is important, Hejlsberg points to Visual Studio Code as another factor helping the language gain popularity.

In fact, even if you’re just developing JavaScript, you can get better coding features from TypeScript, he explains. “Both Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio use TypeScript language services as their JavaScript language services. Since TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, that means JavaScript is a subset of TypeScript, just TypeScript without type annotations.” He points out.

In Visual Studio Code, opening a JavaScript file triggers TypeScript parsers, scanners, lexers, and type parsers to provide statement completion and Code navigation in JavaScript Code. “Even without type annotations, we can infer a lot about the structure of a project from the modules you use and the classes you declare,” Hejlsberg said. “The amazing thing is that we can automatically import type information for the framework you reference, and then we can give you great statement completion.”

What makes this fast publishing pace possible is that all pull requests must be tested before being merged, which ensures the quality of the master branch code and the popularity of TypeScript, meaning that any problems can be found quickly.

“We’re an open source project and we do a lot of work on GitHub. We don’t merge any pull requests unless we can pass our 55,000 tests, we have to provide test code if we add new features, and we have to provide regression tests if we fix bugs. This means that our Master branch has always maintained high code quality.” He said.

JavaScript: Powerful but complex

Beyond any single factor, the real reason behind TypeScript’s popularity is probably the increasing complexity and power of JavaScript development today.

“Our industry and the use of JavaScript have changed dramatically.” Hejlsberg pointed out. Everyone uses Windows and browsers, and that’s how you use JavaScript. Now the world has become very diverse. There are all kinds of different devices — phones, tablets, and node running JavaScript on the back end.” JavaScript has also broken out of the browser. You can build Native apps using JavaScript by using NativeScript, React Native, or Cordova.”

“Yes, it’s more complex, but it’s also infinitely capable.” Hejlsberg said of JavaScript. “Using JavaScript, you can use the same language and tools developed so many kinds of applications. For me, this is the very reason to push all this: you can develop the diversity of different types of application as well as you can from the evolution of the ecosystem of reusability. It not only becomes more complex, and more powerful.”

TNS analystLawrence HechtContributed to the writing of this report.

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