This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by keshav Sandhu
First step if you are setting up from scratch
✅ 1. Initialize Your Node.js Project
bash
npm init -y
Creates a package.json file.
Conversion start now
✅ 2. Install TypeScript and Types for Node
bash
npm install --save-dev typescript @types/node
- typescript: the TypeScript compiler
- @types/node: type definitions for Node.js (so fs, path, etc. work)
✅ 3. Initialize TypeScript Config
bash
npx tsc --init
This generates a tsconfig.json. You can use the default, but you might want to tweak a few settings.
Recommended tsconfig.json tweaks:
jsonc
{
"compilerOptions": {
"target": "es2020",
"module": "commonjs",
"outDir": "./dist",
"rootDir": "./src",
"strict": true,
"esModuleInterop": true,
"skipLibCheck": true
},
"include": ["src"]
}
✅ 4. Create Your Project Structure
bash
mkdir src
touch src/index.ts
Add a simple example in src/index.ts:
ts
const greet = (name: string) => {
console.log(Hello, ${name}!);
};
greet("TypeScript");
✅ 5. Compile TypeScript
bash
npx tsc
This compiles your TypeScript to JavaScript in the dist folder.
✅ 6. Run the Compiled JavaScript
bash
node dist/index.js
🔁 Optional: Add NPM Scripts
Edit package.json to make your workflow easier:
json
"scripts": {
"build": "tsc",
"start": "node dist/index.js",
"dev": "tsc --watch"
}
Now you can run:
bash
npm run build # Compile
npm start # Run
npm run dev # Watch and recompile on changes
🧪 Optional: Use ts-node to Run TS Directly (without compiling)
Install it:
bash
npm install --save-dev ts-node
Run TypeScript directly:
bash
npx ts-node src/index.ts
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by keshav Sandhu
keshav Sandhu | Sciencx (2025-10-16T12:55:04+00:00) Converting any JS project to TS backend. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/10/16/converting-any-js-project-to-ts-backend/
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