10 More TypeScript Alternatives

In the previous article, we talked about the history of TypeScript and its alternatives. In this article, we will continue our discussion and talk about the most popular TypeScript alternatives.

Opal

Opal https://opalrb.com/ is an open-source project that allows developers to write Ruby code that runs in the browser. It is essentially a Ruby-to-JavaScript compiler that compiles Ruby code into JavaScript code, which can then be executed in the browser. Opal aims to bring the power and expressiveness of Ruby to the web, allowing developers to write client-side web applications using the Ruby language.

Opal is similar to other language-to-JavaScript compilers, such as CoffeeScript and TypeScript, but it is specifically designed for Ruby developers who want to write web applications using Ruby. Opal supports most of the core Ruby language features, including classes, modules, and blocks, and provides an API for interacting with the browser's Document Object Model (DOM).

One of the key benefits of Opal is that it allows developers to reuse their existing Ruby code, libraries, and frameworks on the web. This can save time and effort, as developers do not need to learn a new language or rewrite their code from scratch. Additionally, Opal's use of Ruby's syntax and language features can make web development more accessible and expressive for Ruby developers who may not be as familiar with JavaScript.

However, it's worth noting that Opal may not be the best choice for all web development projects, particularly those that require high performance or complex interactivity. Additionally, as Opal is a relatively new technology, it may not have the same level of community support or library availability as more established web development languages like JavaScript or TypeScript.

Kotlin/JS

Kotlin/JS is a language that allows developers to write Kotlin code that compiles to JavaScript, allowing them to build web applications and browser-based user interfaces.

Kotlin is a statically-typed programming language developed by JetBrains, the same company that created the IntelliJ IDEA integrated development environment. Kotlin aims to be more concise, expressive, and safe than Java while also being interoperable with Java code.

Kotlin/JS extends Kotlin with a set of libraries and tools that enable developers to write browser-based applications using Kotlin. It allows developers to use familiar language constructs, such as classes, objects, and lambdas, to build web applications.

In addition to standard libraries, Kotlin/JS provides support for popular frameworks and libraries like React and Redux, making it easy to build modern, scalable web applications. Overall, Kotlin/JS is a powerful language for building web applications that combines the safety and expressiveness of Kotlin with the versatility and ubiquity of JavaScript.

PureScript

PureScript https://www.purescript.org/ is a strongly-typed, purely functional programming language that compiles to JavaScript. It is inspired by Haskell and shares many of its features, including type classes, algebraic data types, and pattern matching. It also features its own unique syntax, type system, and set of libraries.

One of the key benefits of PureScript is its strong type system, which helps to eliminate many common runtime errors before the code is even run. It also has a well-designed foreign function interface, which allows it to interoperate seamlessly with JavaScript code.

PureScript is particularly well-suited for building web applications and has a growing community of developers who are creating libraries and frameworks for this purpose. Some popular PureScript libraries and frameworks include Halogen, a declarative user interface library; purescript-react, a library for building React components; and Spork, a framework for building full-stack web applications.

Scala.js

Scala.js https://www.scala-js.org/ is a Scala to JavaScript compiler that allows developers to write Scala code that compiles to JavaScript, making it possible to use Scala to build client-side web applications. It provides seamless integration with JavaScript code and libraries, while also offering features like type safety, functional programming, and interoperability with the larger Scala ecosystem.

Scala.js achieves high-performance JavaScript code by using advanced optimization techniques, including dead code elimination and inlining, to remove unused code and make the output JavaScript smaller and faster.

Scala.js also provides support for popular frameworks like React, as well as a growing ecosystem of libraries and tools for building web applications, making it a powerful option for developers looking to write scalable, maintainable, and performant web applications using Scala.

ReScript

ReScript https://rescript-lang.org/ is a programming language that is a fork of the BuckleScript compiler, which in turn is a back-end for the OCaml programming language. ReScript was created to provide a more user-friendly syntax and tooling experience for BuckleScript users, and to make it easier for developers to adopt functional programming concepts in their projects. It shares many of the same features as BuckleScript, such as the ability to compile to JavaScript, but with a more modern syntax and additional features like JSX support and a standardized build system.

ClojureScript

ClojureScript https://clojurescript.org/ is a modern, functional programming language that compiles to JavaScript, which means it can run in web browsers and on the server-side using Node.js. It is a dialect of the Clojure programming language and shares many of its features, such as immutability, functional programming, and support for concurrency. ClojureScript also has excellent interoperability with JavaScript code, which allows developers to reuse existing JavaScript libraries and frameworks.

ClojureScript also provides advanced features like macros, which allow developers to write code that generates other code, and it has a powerful set of functional programming libraries, including core.async for efficient and safe asynchronous programming.

Emscripten

Emscripten https://emscripten.org/ is an open-source tool that allows developers to compile C and C++ code to WebAssembly (WASM) or JavaScript. It uses LLVM, a collection of modular and reusable compiler and toolchain technologies, to generate machine code from C and C++ code, and then converts the machine code to WASM or JavaScript using a special Emscripten compiler.

Emscripten can be used to port existing C and C++ applications to the web or create new web applications using C or C++ code. It is widely used in the gaming industry for creating browser-based games that require high performance. Emscripten can also be used with other languages that can be compiled to C or C++, such as Rust or D, to create web applications.

Fable

Fable https://fable.io/ is a compiler that translates F# code into JavaScript, allowing developers to write front-end web applications using F#. F# is a functional programming language that runs on the .NET framework, and Fable leverages the power of the F# language to produce efficient, readable, and maintainable JavaScript code.

Fable is built on top of the Babel JavaScript compiler, which provides a flexible and extensible platform for transforming JavaScript code. This means that Fable can take advantage of the latest JavaScript features while also providing a smooth development experience for F# developers.

Fable supports a range of JavaScript platforms, including the browser, Node.js, and React Native, and provides a powerful set of tools for building web applications, such as hot module reloading and a REPL (read-eval-print-loop) that allows developers to quickly test their code. Fable also integrates with popular JavaScript libraries, such as React and Redux, making it a versatile tool for building web applications.

LiveScript

LiveScript https://livescript.net/ is a high-level programming language that was inspired by CoffeeScript and designed to be a more expressive and concise way to write JavaScript. It is a functional programming language that compiles to JavaScript, and it has features such as list comprehensions, pattern matching, and currying that make it easier to write complex programs. LiveScript also includes built-in support for Promises and Futures, which allow for asynchronous programming in a more concise and intuitive way than traditional callback-based approaches. It can be used for front-end web development or server-side Node.js applications. LiveScript is open-source software and is available on GitHub.

ReasonML

ReasonML https://reasonml.github.io/ is a syntax and toolchain for the OCaml programming language. It was created in 2017 by the same team that created the JavaScript library React. ReasonML aims to provide a more familiar syntax and tooling for JavaScript developers who want to write code in a functional and statically typed language.

ReasonML is a strict syntactic superset of OCaml, meaning that any valid OCaml code is also valid ReasonML code. However, ReasonML offers a more JavaScript-like syntax that is easier to learn for developers who are not familiar with OCaml.

One of the key features of ReasonML is its ability to compile to JavaScript, which allows developers to write code in ReasonML and deploy it to the web. ReasonML also includes the BuckleScript compiler, which provides highly optimized JavaScript output and supports interoperation with existing JavaScript code.

Conclusion

After comparing TypeScript with some of its alternatives, it can be concluded that TypeScript offers a strong set of features that make it a valuable choice for developing large-scale applications. Its optional static typing, class-based object-oriented programming, and easy integration with the existing JavaScript codebase are just a few of its benefits.

Some of its alternatives like Flow, Dart, and PureScript offer similar features to TypeScript, but they may not have the same level of community support or ease of integration with existing JavaScript codebase.

On the other hand, some alternatives like CoffeeScript and LiveScript focus on improving the syntax and readability of JavaScript, but they don't offer the same level of type checking and static analysis as TypeScript.

Overall, the choice between TypeScript and its alternatives will depend on the specific needs and preferences of a project. However, TypeScript's popularity, active development, and strong tooling support make it a safe and reliable choice for building large-scale applications with JavaScript.