Skip to main content

optimizing-compilation

Optimizing Compilation in TypeScript:

  1. Incremental Builds: Use the incremental flag in tsconfig.json to enable incremental compilation. This tells the TypeScript compiler to save information about the project graph from the last compilation to speed up subsequent compilations.

  2. Project References: Use project references to break up your codebase into smaller chunks that can be compiled independently. This is especially useful in monorepos or large codebases.

  3. Avoid any Type: Minimize the use of any type, as it can increase the complexity of type-checking and slow down the compiler.

  4. TypeScript Version: Always use the latest stable TypeScript version for better performance optimizations and newer features.

  5. Type Simplification: Simplify complex types where possible since deep type hierarchies can lead to increased compilation times.

  6. Exclude Unnecessary Files: Use the exclude option in tsconfig.json to ignore files or directories that don't need to be compiled.

  7. No Implicit Any: Turn on the noImplicitAny flag. This can actually help the compiler by reducing the need to infer types.

  8. Skip Lib Check: Use the skipLibCheck option to skip type checking of declaration files (*.d.ts).

  9. Strict Type-Checking Options: Enabling strict type-checking can improve performance, as it helps TypeScript to use more efficient algorithms.

  10. Watch Mode: For development, use the TypeScript compiler’s watch mode (tsc -w) to only recompile files that have changed.

  11. Use ts-loader or awesome-typescript-loader for Webpack: If you are bundling with Webpack, use optimized TypeScript loaders that support incremental compilation.

  12. Isolated Modules: Consider setting isolatedModules to true to ensure each file can be transpiled in isolation, which can improve build times.

  13. Optimize tsconfig Settings: Ensure that your tsconfig.json settings are optimized for your project's needs, avoiding overly strict settings that could cause performance issues.

  14. Memory and CPU Constraints: Be mindful of memory and CPU constraints, especially in CI/CD pipelines. Sometimes, the type of machine can affect the compilation time.

  15. Profile the Compiler: Use the TypeScript compiler’s --diagnostics and --extendedDiagnostics flags to profile the compilation process and identify bottlenecks.