How to set up TypeScript with Node.js and Express

# Node.js # Javascript

Jayram Prajapati · 25 Apr 2024

Setting up a server using JavaScript, Node.js, and TypeScript Express is easy. Nonetheless, as your application grows in complexity or you collaborate with a distributed team of developers worldwide, TypeScript Express becomes a compelling alternative to JavaScript. TypeScript improves code robustness and clarity via static typing, allowing for seamless collaboration and project scalability. Its sophisticated tooling, extensive IDE support, and interoperability make it the best option for a smoother development journey, especially in continually developing projects.

In this post, we will look at a beginner-friendly technique for configuring NodeJs TypeScript within a node js express application and learn about the key constraints it includes.

Make sure you comply with the following requirements to get the most out of this tutorial:

Node.js version ≥ v16.0 is installed on your local development environment.
Having access to a package manager like Yarn, pnpm, or npm
Basic familiarity with Node.js express.

We provide 8 easy steps to configure TypeScript in your Express application successfully. Let's jump in and start optimizing your project with TypeScript Express!

No.1 Create the initial folder and package.json

First, create a new directory in your local development environment listed as ts-node-express and navigate into it. Then, we'll use npm's initializer command to create a package.json file with default settings:

mkdir ts-node-express
cd ts-node-express/
npm init -y

When initialising a package.json file in this manner, the --yes or -y flag accepts npm's default settings, skipping the repeated queries about project specifics.

Now, let's edit the main field in the package.json file to point to src/index.js, which will be our application's entry point:

{
  "name": "Your File Name",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "main": "index.js", // Entry Point change it from  js to .ts 
  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
  },
  "type": "module",
  "keywords": [],
  "author": "",
  "license": "ISC"
}

Your package.json file is now configured to use src/index.js as the application's entry point. You may now set up your TypeScript configuration within the src directory.

No.2 Build a simple server by using Express

After initializing the package.json file, let's install the DotEnv and Express packages to the project. You can do this by firing the following command in the terminal:

npm i express dotenv