TypeScript: Type Alias versus Interface

One confusing thing for newcomers to TypeScript (and even some of us who have used it for a while) is whether to use a Type Alias or an Interface.

Let me save you a lot of reading right now to say: there are very few differences between Type Aliases and Interfaces. Pick one and use it.

The biggest difference between a Type Alias and an Interface is that Type Aliases cannot be added onto or changed, whereas Interfaces are extendable at will.

We're going to go through some examples of how they both work, but before we get started, this article will be most beneficial for you if you copy-paste the code snippets into the TypeScript Playground and run it, or run it in some other Read-Eval-Print Loop (REPL) of your choice.

Basic usage of a Type Alias and Interface

interface CarInterface {
    color: string
    make: string
    model: string
}

type CarType = {
    color: string
    make: string
    model: string
}

const describeCarFromInterface = (car: CarInterface) => console.log(`The ${car.color} car is a ${car.make} ${car.model}.`);

const describeCarFromType = (car: CarType) => console.log(`The ${car.color} car is a ${car.make} ${car.model}.`);

describeCarFromInterface({ color: 'Blue', make: 'Subaru', model: 'Impreza' });
describeCarFromType({ color: 'Silver', make: 'Subaru', model: 'Outback' });

You can copy paste this code and run it in a REPL like TypeScript Playground and you will get:

[LOG]: "The Blue car is a Subaru Outback."
[LOG]: "The Silver car is a Subaru Outback."

Okay that was a simple example of how to use Type Aliases and Interfaces. How do we change our original declarations?

Things you can do with a Type Alias

You cannot reassign a Type Alias after creation

type CarType = {
    color: string
    make: string
    model: string
}

// This will make TypeScript unhappy.
type CarType = {
    mileage: number
}

const describeCarFromType = (car: CarType) => console.log(`The ${car.color} car is a ${car.make} ${car.model}.`);

describeCarFromType({ color: 'Silver', make: 'Subaru', model: 'Outback', mileage: 1000 });

You can add new fields to a Type Alias by extending it

type CarType = {
    color: string
    make: string
    model: string
}

type ElectricCarType = CarType & {
    mileage: number
    chargeTime: number
}

const describeCarFromType = (car: ElectricCarType) => console.log(`The ${car.color} car is a ${car.make} ${car.model} with ${car.mileage} miles. It charges in ${car.chargeTime} hours.`);

describeCarFromType({ color: 'Silver', make: 'Subaru', model: 'Outback', mileage: 1000, chargeTime: 5 });

You can use Type Aliases to create custom names for a primitive

type CarType = {
    color: string
    make: string
    model: string
}

type PositiveNumber = number

type ElectricCarType = CarType & {
    mileage: PositiveNumber
    chargeTime: PositiveNumber
}

const describeCarFromType = (car: ElectricCarType) => console.log(`The ${car.color} car is a ${car.make} ${car.model} with ${car.mileage} miles. It charges in ${car.chargeTime} hours.`);

describeCarFromType({ color: 'Silver', make: 'Subaru', model: 'Outback', mileage: 1000, chargeTime: 5 });

Things you can do with an Interface

You can redeclare an Interface and add new fields

interface CarInterface {
    color: string
    make: string
    model: string
}

interface CarInterface {
    mileage: number     // This adds onto the original interface
    model: number       // Just for fun, but this is invalid. You cannot change the type after the initial declaration.
}

const describeCarFromInterface = (car: CarInterface) => console.log(`The ${car.color} car is a ${car.make} ${car.model}.`);

describeCarFromInterface({ color: 'Blue', make: 'Subaru', model: 'Impreza', mileage: 1000 });

You can add new fields to an Interface by extending it

interface CarInterface {
    color: string
    make: string
    model: string
}

interface ElectricCarInterface extends CarInterface {
    chargeTime: number
    model: number       // Just for fun, this is still invalid. You cannot change an extended type after the initial declaration.
}

const describeCarFromInterface = (car: ElectricCarInterface) => console.log(`The ${car.color} car is a ${car.make} ${car.model}. It charges in ${car.chargeTime} hours.`);

describeCarFromInterface({ color: 'Blue', make: 'Subaru', model: 'Impreza', chargeTime: 5 });

Type Aliases and Interfaces are interchangeable. Really.

Look, if you are reading this article, TypeScript and static typing have already made a positive impact on your life. It really doesn't matter which one you use in your code, as long as you're consistent with yourself.

If you need someone to make a bold assertion for you, I personally prefer Interfaces unless I need to create a custom name for a primitive type. Nothing prevents you from mixing and matching them, like this. 🎉

interface CarInterface {
    color: string
    make: string
    model: string
}

// Type Alias extending an Interface
type RaceCarType = CarInterface & {
    hasRacingStripes: boolean
    hasTurboEngine: boolean
}

type PositiveNumber = number

// Interface extending an Interface
interface ElectricCarInterface extends CarInterface {
    mileage: PositiveNumber     // This is a Type Alias.
    chargeTime: PositiveNumber  // This is a Type Alias.
}

// Interface extending a Type Alias
interface ElectricRaceCarInterface extends RaceCarType {
    mileage: PositiveNumber
    chargeTime: PositiveNumber
    hasSpoiler: boolean
}

const describeCar = (car: ElectricCarInterface) => console.log(`The ${car.color} car is a ${car.make} ${car.model} with ${car.mileage} miles. It charges in ${car.chargeTime} hours.`);

describeCar({ color: 'Silver', make: 'Subaru', model: 'Outback', mileage: 1000, chargeTime: 5 });