Type-Strip is a super-fast type-stripper: TypeScript code goes in, and JavaScript code with type annotations removed comes out.
It also ensures forward compatibility with the TC39 Type Annotation Proposal. This means that when the proposal reaches stage 4, you'll be able to seamlessly change your file extensions to .js, and won't need a transpilation step anymore.
If you're using modern TypeScript today, then Type-Strip might be the only build step you need.
- Strips type annotations
- Optionally strips comments. See options
- Fast. See the benchmark
- Throws when an unsupported syntax is detected.
Depending on your runtime / package-manager:
deno add jsr:@fcrozatier/type-strip
npx jsr add @fcrozatier/type-strip
pnpm dlx jsr add @fcrozatier/type-strip
yarn dlx jsr add @fcrozatier/type-stripStrip a string of code, files etc.
import strip from '@fcrozatier/type-strip';
console.log(strip("let num: number = 0;", {/* options */}));
//-> let num = 0;Input
/**
* This class implements a Person
*/
class Person {
// Index signature
[key: string]: any;
name: string;
constructor(name: string) {
this.name = name;
}
getGreeting(): string {
return `Hello, my name is ${this.name}`;
}
}Output with the removeComments option
class Person {
name;
constructor(name) {
this.name = name;
}
getGreeting() {
return `Hello, my name is ${this.name}`;
}
}removeComments?: boolean- Whether to strip comments
- Default
false
The goal of the TC39 proposal is to add type annotations without modifying the semantics of the language. This means that TypeScript-only features requiring a transpilation step are not supported.
Auto-Accessors are not yet natively supported in JavaScript and are part of the stage 3 Decorator proposal
class Person {
accessor name: string;
constructor(name: string) {
this.name = name;
}
}An alternative is to use explicit getters/setters
class Person {
#name: string;
get name() {
return this.#name;
}
set name(value: string) {
this.#name = value;
}
constructor(name: string) {
this.name = name;
}
}Ambient Declarations are still up for discussion in the TC39 type annotation proposal. At the moment the proposal doesn't reserve space for ambient declarations.
declare const foo: BarIf you only need them for type-checking, the alternative is to expose them in a separate file.
Decorators are not yet natively supported in JavaScript, and are part of the stage 3 Decorator proposal
@Logger("debug")
class Custom extends HTMLElement {
//...
}If you rely on them you can still have a transpilation step beforehand. Another alternative is to use the mixin pattern
export const Flying = <T extends new (...args: any[]) => any>(
superclass: T,
) => {
return class extends superclass {
constructor(...options: any[]) {
console.log("initializing...");
super(...options);
}
fly() {
console.log("flying!");
}
};
};
class Dog {}
class FlyingDog extends Flying(Dog) {}
const flyingDog = new FlyingDog(); //-> initializing...
flyingDog.fly(); //-> flying!Enums are a TypeScript feature that requires transpilation and has runtime semantics. There is a recent stage 0 proposal to include them in the language.
enum Direction {
Up = "UP",
Down = "DOWN",
Left = "LEFT",
Right = "RIGHT",
}An alternative is to use a const object
const Direction = {
Up: "UP",
Down: "DOWN",
Left: "LEFT",
Right: "RIGHT",
} as const
type Direction = keyof typeof Direction;JSX is not intended to be implemented by browsers, but to be used by preprocessors. It's not part of the TC39 proposal.
Namespaces are a legacy TypeScript-specific construct to provide modularity and encapsulation. They are not supported by the TC39 type annotation proposal. Standard ES modules are the preferred way to address these needs
Function overloads are still up for discussion in the TC39 type annotation proposal. At the moment the proposal doesn't reserve space for function overloads.
/**
* Returns an array of numbers between 0 and `stop` (excluded) in increments of 1
*/
export function range(stop: number): number[];
/**
* Returns an array of numbers between `start` and `stop` (excluded) in increments of 1
*/
export function range(start: number, stop: number): number[];
/**
* Returns an array of numbers between `start` and `stop` (excluded) in increments of `step`
*/
export function range(start: number, stop: number, step: number): number[];
export function range(startOrStop: number, stop?: number, step?: number) {
let start = startOrStop;
if (stop !== undefined && step !== undefined) {
return Array.from(
{ length: (stop - start) / step },
(_, i) => start + i * step,
);
} else if (stop !== undefined) {
return Array.from({ length: stop - start }, (_, i) => start + i);
} else {
const stop = startOrStop;
start = 0;
return Array.from({ length: stop - start }, (_, i) => start + i);
}
}An alternative is to branch depending on the number of arguments or their type
type RangeOptions =
| [stop: number]
| [start: number, stop: number]
| [start: number, stop: number, step: number];
/**
* Makes an array of numbers between `start` (defaults to 0) and `stop` (excluded) in increments of `step` (defaults to 1)
*/
export function range(...args: RangeOptions) {
switch (args.length) {
case 1: {
const [stop] = args;
return Array.from({ length: stop }, (_, i) => i);
}
case 2: {
const [start, stop] = args;
return Array.from({ length: stop - start }, (_, i) => start + i);
}
case 3: {
const [start, stop, step] = args;
return Array.from(
{ length: (stop - start) / step },
(_, i) => start + i * step,
);
}
}
}Parameter Properties are a convenience TypeScript syntax for turning a constructor parameter into a class property, but do not align with existing Javascript semantics. They are not supported by the TC39 type annotation proposal.
class Params {
constructor(
public readonly x: number,
protected y: number,
private z: number
) {
// No body necessary
}
}The alternative is to use explicit field declarations and assignments
class Params {
public readonly x: number,
protected y: number,
private z: number
constructor(x: number, y: number, z: number) {
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
this.z = z;
}
}This is a legacy TypeScript syntax, the preferred way to assert a type is to use an as-expression
const something: unknown = "this is a string";
const legacy = (<string>something).length; // legacy prefix-style
const modern = (something as string).length; // as-expressionYou need to import types explicitly to avoid runtime errors. To enforce this make sure your tsconfig.json contains the "verbatimModuleSyntax": true rule.
The JavaScript syntax doesn't enforce the use of semi-columns, which can result in ambiguous or altogether buggy programs when stripping types. It's recommended to enforce the semi-columns rule in your formatter.
age // Without a semi-column this will become `age(1);` after type stripping
type Foo = string;
(1);If you want to rely on automatic semi-column insertion at "transpilation time", then tsBlankSpace is a very good alternative. Note that it has a different focus than Type-Strip as it supports JSX, and inserts blank spaces instead of just stripping the types, which can result in bigger file sizes.
Type-Strip is super-fast: for short files of about 1000 lines of code it's 20% faster than esbuild.
Check out the interactive plot
