Manvir Singh’s Post

🛡️ The "Any" Trap: Where TypeScript Armor Fails I recently reviewed some TypeScript code from a company I was consulting for, and while the intention was right—they were using TypeScript—the execution was, well, accurately described by this meme. We adopt TypeScript for its safety net and the confidence that its static type checking provides. It's the armor protecting us from runtime errors and making refactoring manageable. But every time we use the any keyword, we are essentially taking off that armor and giving the compiler a hall pass. Why relying on any defeats the purpose: Bypassing Type Safety: any tells TypeScript, "Stop checking this." It lets you assign anything to it and call any method on it, effectively turning that section of your code back into plain JavaScript. You lose IntelliSense, compile-time error checking, and code confidence. Hiding Real Issues: Using any often means a developer couldn't easily figure out the correct type. Instead of forcing them to solve the type challenge, any allows the issue to be deferred until runtime, which is the exact scenario TypeScript is meant to prevent. Damaging Maintainability: When a new developer inherits the code, seeing any gives them no context about the data structure they are working with, increasing their cognitive load and the chance of introducing bugs. If you find yourself reaching for any frequently, consider alternatives like generic types, utility types (Partial, Pick), or a simple unknown (which forces you to perform a type check before using it). Don't let the any arrow pierce your project's armor! Are you strict about avoiding any, or do you find it necessary in certain interop scenarios (like dealing with external libraries)? Let me know your rules for the any keyword! 👇

After 7 years of neglect, I'm excited to announce Complex.js v2.0.0, a major modernization of my extended complex numbers library for JavaScript and TypeScript! What changed? Feature wise, not much. This release represents more of an experiment of a complete overhaul of the project infrastructure and developer experience by using Gen AI tools: Modern Tooling Stack - Package Management: Migrated from npm to pnpm for faster, more efficient dependency management. - Testing: Switched from Jest to Vitest. - Linting & Formatting: Replaced TSLint with ESLint + Prettier. - Git Hooks: Integrated Husky + Commitlint + Lint Staged. - CI/CD: Moved from Travis CI (lol) to GitHub Actions. Comprehensive Documentation - Built a complete Docusaurus documentation site. It's been completely generated in the background while working on the package itself, pretty insane if you ask me. - Added detailed API reference, examples, and usage guides. - Included mathematical background and practical examples. Code Quality Improvements - Modular TypeScript configuration for better maintainability. - Updated Rollup build configuration with up-to-date settings. - Refactored core functions and operations. - Enhanced test coverage. This modernization wouldn't have been possible without leveraging AI-powered development tools. So here's my honest take: Pros: - Code autocompletion: Incredibly helpful for boilerplate code, imports, and repetitive patterns. I saved countless hours on typing boring stuff. - Documentation Generation: AI agents excel at generating comprehensive documentation. - Refactoring: Perfect for refactoring similar code patterns across multiple files, updating imports, and maintaining consistency. - Learning & Exploration: Great for understanding new tools and frameworks quickly. Cons: - Context Limitations: Sometimes struggles with complex domain-specific logic . - Over-reliance Risk: Can make you less familiar with the codebase if you're not careful. - Review Required: Generated code always needs thorough review. - Debugging Complexity: When AI-generated code has issues, debugging can be trickier since you didn't write it line-by-line. Or even worse, code makes sense at first glance but hides nasty bugs that are hard to discover. Bottomline, AI tools like Cursor are powerful accelerators, not replacements. They work best when you: - Understand the codebase deeply. - Review everything carefully. - Use them to augment, not replace, your expertise. Check out my library here: https://lnkd.in/dSwe-RKa --- You can check what extended complex numbers are here: https://lnkd.in/dbR2Uj-R #TypeScript #JavaScript #OpenSource #WebDevelopment #AI #DeveloperTools #Cursor #GenAI #npm #library #GenAi

Deno Vs Bun In 2025: Two Modern Approaches To JavaScript Runtime Development You're choosing a JavaScript runtime. Should you prioritize security-first design with broad community input, or speed-first execution with tight core team control? Using Collab.dev, we analyzed the last 100 pull requests from both repositories to understand how each runtime manages development at scale. Deno is a secure-by-default JavaScript and TypeScript runtime created by Node.js creator Ryan Dahl. Built on V8, Rust, and Tokio, Deno requires explicit permissions for file, network, and environment access. The runtime includes built-in tooling (formatter, linter, test runner, bundler) and a curated standard library, eliminating the need for external build tools. Bun is a performance-focused JavaScript runtime built on JavaScriptCore (Safari's engine). Positioning itself as a drop-in Node.js replacement, Bun emphasizes speed across all operations: runtime execution, package installation, bundling, and testing. The runtime includes native TypeScript and JSX support, a bundler, transpil https://lnkd.in/gEG_YAf3

Are you tired of chasing bugs in your JavaScript code? TypeScript is here to save the day with its superpower: interfaces! These nifty tools provide a blueprint for your objects, making your code more readable and maintainable. Think of interfaces as the organized friend who keeps everything in check. By using interfaces, developers can ensure consistency in their code structure and easily spot where changes are needed. They also promote code reusability, allowing different classes to play nice together. So, next time you're crafting your TypeScript masterpiece, remember to keep those interfaces clear and focused. Embrace the power of interfaces and watch your code transform into a robust and scalable work of art! #TypeScript #Interfaces #CodeQuality #DevelopmentTips

I Spent 2 Days Migrating to TypeScript So I Could Write JavaScript Anyway Congratulations! You've adopted TypeScript. Now you're writing JavaScript with commitment issues. Let me paint you a picture: your team had The Meeting. Someone said " type safety " while gesturing vaguely at a stack trace. Someone else mentioned " developer experience " after their third coffee. Everyone nodded like they understood what that meant. You migrated your codebase, spent two days fixing config files, added typescript to your dependencies, and updated your LinkedIn. Then you wrote this masterpiece: const data: any = await fetchUserData(); Chef's kiss. Beautiful. You've taken a language designed to catch bugs at compile time and told it "nah, surprise me at runtime." It's like buying a seatbelt and wearing it as a scarf. TypeScript's whole thing is preventing undefined is not a function from ruining your Thursday afternoon. But any is the " I trust the universe " button—and you're mashing it like it owes you money. The compiler isn't fooled. Your IDE isn't fooled. And t https://lnkd.in/gHBxucF2

I Spent 2 Days Migrating to TypeScript So I Could Write JavaScript Anyway Congratulations! You've adopted TypeScript. Now you're writing JavaScript with commitment issues. Let me paint you a picture: your team had The Meeting. Someone said " type safety " while gesturing vaguely at a stack trace. Someone else mentioned " developer experience " after their third coffee. Everyone nodded like they understood what that meant. You migrated your codebase, spent two days fixing config files, added typescript to your dependencies, and updated your LinkedIn. Then you wrote this masterpiece: const data: any = await fetchUserData(); Chef's kiss. Beautiful. You've taken a language designed to catch bugs at compile time and told it "nah, surprise me at runtime." It's like buying a seatbelt and wearing it as a scarf. TypeScript's whole thing is preventing undefined is not a function from ruining your Thursday afternoon. But any is the " I trust the universe " button—and you're mashing it like it owes you money. The compiler isn't fooled. Your IDE isn't fooled. And t https://lnkd.in/gHBxucF2

Let's talk about something quite interesting in TypeScript - 'Indexed Access Types.' In TypeScript, 'Indexed Access Types' let us look up a type by indexing another type. This is similar to how we access a property on an object or an array at runtime. Let’s say we have an 'as const' object, and we want our types to stay perfectly in sync with the values inside it. That’s where 'Indexed Access Types' shine. This means if the original object changes, your derived types update automatically. You can even use 'keyof' with it to extract all possible value types or combine specific keys to build flexible unions. And yes, this is why 'as const' is so useful because it ensures those values are literal types, not widened ones like 'string.' If you try to access a key that doesn’t exist, TypeScript immediately warns you, giving you both type safety and consistency. So far, I talked about ' as const' objects in TypeScript. What if instead of an object, we have an ‘as const’ array? Using 'as const', this array becomes a 'readonly tuple,' and we can use 'Indexed Access Types' to extract types from it the same way we do with objects. We can get the type of a specific element by its index or even create a union type of all the values in the array. Here’s where it gets interesting. If we use 'number' as the index type, TypeScript interprets that as 'all numeric indices', effectively giving us a union of all the element types in the array. That means if our array changes or if elements are added or removed, the derived type automatically reflects those changes. This pattern is incredibly powerful for defining value-driven types that evolve with your code. In short, Indexed Access Types help you create types that truly evolve with your data. #TypeScript #JavaScript #Programming #Development #Coding #WebDevelopment