In TypeScript, both interfaces and type aliases provide ways to define custom types. While they share similarities, understanding their differences is crucial for effective TypeScript development.
Interfaces in TypeScript define the structure of objects. They are primarily used for describing the shape of data and can be extended or implemented by classes.
interface Person {
name: string;
age: number;
}
const john: Person = { name: "John", age: 30 };
Type aliases create new names for types. They can represent not just object types, but also primitives, unions, tuples, and other complex types.
type Point = {
x: number;
y: number;
};
type ID = string | number;
const point: Point = { x: 10, y: 20 };
const id: ID = "abc123";
Use interfaces when:
Use type aliases when:
When working with interfaces and type aliases, consider these best practices:
Both interfaces and type aliases are powerful features in TypeScript. Understanding their strengths and use cases will help you write more maintainable and expressive code. For more advanced type manipulations, explore conditional types and mapped types.