Most asked TypeScript interview questions 🚀

Introduction 🌐

Welcome to the Most asked TypeScript Interview Questions guide, your ultimate prep tool for mastering TypeScript interviews! 🚀 From the fundamentals to advanced concepts, we've got you covered. Let's get started!

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Beginner Level 🧑‍💻

What is TypeScript and why should we use it?

• Enhanced Language: TypeScript extends JavaScript with features like type checking, access modifiers, and interfaces.
• Error Prevention: TypeScript helps avoid common JavaScript errors, ensuring more reliable production-ready code.

Learn more about common errors in JavaScript here.

• Developer Experience: Offers improved developer experiences with enhanced IntelliSense and code suggestions directly within the editor.

What are the basic types in TypeScript?

In TypeScript, we have basic types that align with the fundamental data types in JavaScript. These include number, string, boolean, null, undefined, and symbol. For example:

let name: string = "Ramu";
let age: number = 24;
let isValid: boolean = false;
let user: null = null;
let value: undefined = undefined;
let uniqueKey: symbol = Symbol("key");

What are access modifiers in TypeScript?

In TypeScript, access modifiers manage how parts of your code are shared. There are three key access modifiers: private, public, and protected.

• Private: Variables or methods marked as private are exclusive to their class. They cannot be accessed from outside that class.

  class Example {
    private secret: string = "hidden information";
  }

• Public: Using public makes variables or methods accessible from anywhere in the program.

  class Example {
    public info: string = "public information";
  }

• Protected: When declared protected, variables or methods are accessible within the class and its subclasses.

class BaseClass {
  protected internalData: string = "accessible within subclasses";
}

class SubClass extends BaseClass {
  constructor() {
    super();
    console.log(this.internalData);
  }
}

Explain how TypeScript infers types?

TypeScript uses type inference to automatically determine the types of variables based on their assigned values while declaration. For example:

let age = 25; // TypeScript infers `age` as type `number`.
let name = "Ramu"; // TypeScript infers `name` as type `string`.
let isValid = true; // TypeScript infers `isValid` as type `boolean`.

What is an interface in TypeScript, and how is it different from a class?

In TypeScript, an interface serves as a blueprint for defining how an object should look. It outlines the properties an object should have and their respective types but doesn't include any actual code.

Unlike a class, an interface is solely used to describe the structure of an object. For example:

interface Person {
  name: string;
  age: number;
}

const ramu: Person = {
  name: "Ramu",
  age: 24,
};

In this example, the Person interface helps us define what properties a ramu object should have – in this case, a name of type string and an age of type number.

What is the difference between never, unknown, and any in TypeScript?

Type	Description
never	TypeScript completely skips type checking for variables assigned with never. It signifies absolute absence of value.
unknown	Assigning a variable with unknown tells TypeScript it's uncertain about the variable's type. Unlike any, it enforces type checks for safety.
any	TypeScript skip all type checks for variables assigned with any, providing maximum flexibility but sacrificing static typing benefits. It's a free pass for types.

For example:

// This function is intentionally created to generate an error and never return a value.
function throwError(message: string): never {
  throw new Error(message);
}

let person: unknown;

// Since TypeScript identifies 'person' as an unknown type, we need to perform multiple type-checks.
if (
  !!person &&
  typeof person === "object" &&
  "name" in person &&
  "age" in person
) {
  // After confirming its type, we can safely assign values to its properties.
  person.name = "Ramu";
  person.age = 24;
}

// A variable declared with 'any' type allows assigning values of any data type to it.
let value: any;

// Examples of assigning various types of values to the 'value' variable.
value = 23;
value = "Hi folks...";
value = true;

What is the difference between type and interface in TypeScript?

Defining Properties

• type: Define types for values or combinations, including primitives.

  type Age = number;
  type Name = string;

  type PersonType = {
    name: Name;
    age: Age;
  };

• interface: Ideal for shaping object structures.

  interface PersonInterface {
    name: string;
    age: number;
  }

Extending

• type: Extend using & for easy combination.

  type PersonType = { name: string; age: number };
  type PlayerType = PersonType & { isCricketer: boolean };

• interface: Extend using extends for inheritance.

  interface PersonInterface {
    name: string;
    age: number;
  }
  interface PlayerInterface extends PersonInterface {
    isCricketer: string;
  }

Declaration Merging

• type: Does not support merging; duplicate definitions raise an error.

  type Person = { name: string };
  // Error: Duplicate identifier 'Person'.
  type Person = { age: number };

• interface: Supports merging, enabling extension or addition.

  interface Person {
    name: string;
  }
  // Extends the existing Person interface.
  interface Person {
    age: number;
  }

Immutability

• type: Allows flexibility, making properties readonly or optional.

  type ReadonlyPerson = { readonly name: string; readonly age: number };
  type OptionalPerson = { name?: string; age?: number };

• interface: Direct support for readonly or optional properties is limited.

  // Error: 'readonly' modifier cannot be used with an index signature.
  interface ReadonlyPerson {
    readonly [key: string]: string | number;
  }
  // Error: An index signature parameter type cannot be optional.
interface OptionalPerson { [key: string]?: string | number; }

Choosing Between type and interface

• type: Use for unions, intersections, or with primitive types.

• interface: Ideal for defining object shapes, extending, or leveraging declaration merging.

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Intermediate Level 🚧

What are generics in TypeScript, and when would you use them?

Generics in TypeScript enable you to create versatile and reusable code. They let you write functions and classes that can work with different types. For example:

function print<T>(arg: T): T {
  return arg;
}

const resultNum = print<number>(42);
const resultStr = print<string>("Hi folks...");

In this example, the print function uses a generic type T, allowing it to work with both numbers and strings. The function returns the input value as is, demonstrating flexibility with various data types.

What are Union and Intersection Types in TypeScript?

In TypeScript, union types, marked by |, allow a variable to have values from different types. It means the variable can store values that match any of the specified types.

For example:

type Cat = { name: string; meow: () => void };
type Dog = { name: string; bark: () => void };

const pet: Cat | Dog = /* Either a Cat or a Dog */;

On the other side, intersection types, shown by &, bring together multiple types to form a new type with all the properties of each individual type.

For example:

type Name = string;
type Age = number;

type Person = Name & Age; // `Person` must have properties from both `Name` and `Age`.

const person: Person = { name: "Ramu", age: 24 };

When would you use type assertion in TypeScript?

Type assertion is used when you know more about a value's type than TypeScript does. For example:

let arr: any = [1, 2, 3];
let len: number = (arr as number[]).length;

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Advanced Level 🔥

What are mapped types, and how do they work in TypeScript?

Mapped types in TypeScript allow you to create new types by changing the properties of existing ones. For instance:

type Person = {
  name: string;
  age: number;
};

// Create a type where all parameters are optional
type OptionalType<T> = { [K in keyof T]?: T[K] };
const optionalPerson: OptionalType<Person> = {
  name: "Ramu",
};

// Create a type where all parameters are required
type RequiredType<T> = { [K in keyof T]: T[K] };
const requiredPerson: RequiredType<Person> = {
  name: "Ramu",
  age: 24,
};

However, TypeScript provides built-in Partial and Required types, which you can use directly instead of defining custom OptionalType and RequiredType types. For example:

type Person = {
  name: string;
  age: number;
};

// Use Partial<T> for optional properties
const optionalPerson: Partial<Person> = {
  name: "Ramu",
};

// Use Required<T> directly for required properties
const requiredPerson: Required<Person> = {
  name: "Ramu",
  age: 24,
};

What are Conditional Types in TypeScript?

Conditional types in TypeScript help us describe different type mappings based on certain conditions. Let's break it down with an example:

type IfString<T> = T extends string ? "It's a string" : "It's not a string";
let result: IfString<number>; // "It's not a string"

In this example, IfString is a conditional type that checks if the provided type (T) is a string. If it is, it returns "It's a string"; otherwise, it returns "It's not a string." The result variable, declared as IfString<number>, illustrates that the type is not a string, confirming our condition.

What are TypeScript decorators, and how do they work?

Decorators are a way to modify or annotate classes and properties in TypeScript. For example:

function log(target: any, key: string) {
  console.log(`Property ${key} has been accessed`);
}

class MyClass {
  @log
  myProperty: string = "example";
}

Explain the concept of advanced type guards.

Advanced type guards involve using user-defined functions to narrow down the type of a variable within a certain code block. For example:

interface Cat {
  name: string;
  meow(): void;
}

interface Dog {
  name: string;
  bark(): void;
}

function isCat(animal: Cat | Dog): animal is Cat {
  return "meow" in animal;
}

const pet: Cat | Dog = /* initialize */;
if (isCat(pet)) {
  pet.meow(); // TypeScript knows `pet` is a Cat here.
} else {
  pet.bark(); // TypeScript knows `pet` is a Dog here.

What is the declare keyword in TypeScript?

The declare keyword in TypeScript is used to inform the compiler that a variable, method, or library is defined externally and its type information is not available within the current TypeScript code.

This is often used when working with plain JavaScript libraries that lack TypeScript typings.

Example:

// externalModule.js
// This is a plain JavaScript module without TypeScript typings
const externalModule = {
  print: function (name) {
    console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`);
  },
};

// yourModule.ts
// TypeScript file where you want to use externalModule

declare var externalModule: any;

externalModule.print("Ramu"); // No type checking for externalModule

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