Advanced Types

TypeScript · 8 entries

Conditional Types

syntax

type Result = T extends Condition ? TrueType : FalseType;

example

type IsString<T> = T extends string ? "yes" : "no";

type A = IsString<string>;    // "yes"
type B = IsString<number>;    // "no"
type C = IsString<"hello">;   // "yes"

// Practical: flatten one level of array
type Flatten<T> = T extends Array<infer Item> ? Item : T;

type Str = Flatten<string[]>;   // string
type Num = Flatten<number>;     // number (not an array, returned as-is)

output

// Conditional types branch on whether T matches a shape

Note Conditional types distribute over naked union type parameters: IsString<string | number> becomes IsString<string> | IsString<number> = "yes" | "no". Wrap in tuple to prevent distribution: [T] extends [string] ? ... : ...

conditional typetype branchingtype-level ifextends conditionaldistribute union

Mapped Types

syntax

type Result = {
  [K in keyof T]: NewType;
};

example

interface UserProfile {
  name: string;
  email: string;
  age: number;
}

// Make every property a getter function
type Getters<T> = {
  [K in keyof T as `get${Capitalize<string & K>}`]: () => T[K];
};

type UserGetters = Getters<UserProfile>;
// {
//   getName: () => string;
//   getEmail: () => string;
//   getAge: () => number;
// }

// Make all properties mutable (remove readonly)
type Mutable<T> = {
  -readonly [K in keyof T]: T[K];
};

output

// Mapped types transform every property of an existing type

Note Key remapping with 'as' (TS 4.1+) enables renaming keys. Filter out keys by mapping to never: [K in keyof T as T[K] extends Function ? never : K]. The +/- modifiers add or remove readonly and optional (?) markers.

mapped typetransform propertieskey remappingmodify all propertiesiterate keys

infer Keyword

syntax

type Result = T extends Pattern<infer U> ? U : Fallback;

example

// Extract the resolved type from a Promise
type UnwrapPromise<T> = T extends Promise<infer R> ? R : T;

type A = UnwrapPromise<Promise<string>>;  // string
type B = UnwrapPromise<number>;           // number

// Extract function first argument
type FirstArg<T> = T extends (first: infer F, ...rest: any[]) => any ? F : never;

type FA = FirstArg<(name: string, age: number) => void>;  // string

// Extract array element type
type ArrayItem<T> = T extends readonly (infer E)[] ? E : never;
type Item = ArrayItem<readonly ["a", "b", "c"]>;  // "a" | "b" | "c"

output

// infer declares a type variable that TypeScript figures out from context

Note infer can only be used inside the extends clause of a conditional type. It captures whatever type fits in that position. Multiple infer clauses in the same conditional are allowed. In union position, infer produces a union; in intersection position (like function params), it produces an intersection.

infer keywordextract typepattern matching typecapture genericunwrap type

Recursive Types

syntax

type TreeNode<T> = {
  value: T;
  children: TreeNode<T>[];
};

example

// JSON-compatible type
type JsonValue =
  | string
  | number
  | boolean
  | null
  | JsonValue[]
  | { [key: string]: JsonValue };

// Deep Readonly
type DeepReadonly<T> = T extends object
  ? { readonly [K in keyof T]: DeepReadonly<T[K]> }
  : T;

interface NestedConfig {
  db: { host: string; port: number; ssl: { enabled: boolean } };
}

type FrozenConfig = DeepReadonly<NestedConfig>;
// All levels are readonly — db.ssl.enabled cannot be reassigned

output

// Recursive types reference themselves in their definition

Note TypeScript handles direct recursive type aliases since TS 3.7. Earlier versions needed interface workarounds. Be careful with deeply recursive conditional types — the compiler has a recursion depth limit (around 50 levels by default) and will error if exceeded.

recursive typenested typedeep typetree typeJSON typeself-referencing type

Branded / Nominal Types

syntax

type Brand<T, B> = T & { readonly __brand: B };

example

type USD = number & { readonly __brand: "USD" };
type EUR = number & { readonly __brand: "EUR" };

function usd(amount: number): USD {
  return amount as USD;
}

function eur(amount: number): EUR {
  return amount as EUR;
}

function chargeUSD(amount: USD) {
  console.log(`Charging $${amount}`);
}

const price = usd(29.99);
chargeUSD(price);          // OK
// chargeUSD(eur(25.00));  // Error: EUR is not assignable to USD
// chargeUSD(29.99);       // Error: number is not assignable to USD

output

// Branded types prevent accidentally mixing structurally identical types

Note TypeScript uses structural typing — two types with the same shape are interchangeable. Branded types add a phantom property to create nominal (name-based) distinction. The __brand property never exists at runtime; it is purely a compile-time discriminator. Use this for user IDs, currency, coordinates, etc.

branded typenominal typeopaque typephantom typeprevent mixing types

Advanced Template Literal Types

syntax

type Result = `${TypeA}${TypeB}`;

example

type HTTPMethod = "GET" | "POST" | "PUT" | "DELETE";
type APIPath = "/users" | "/orders" | "/products";

// Generate all route strings
type APIRoute = `${HTTPMethod} ${APIPath}`;
// "GET /users" | "GET /orders" | "GET /products" | "POST /users" | ... (12 total)

// Extract path params
type ExtractParams<T extends string> =
  T extends `${string}:${infer Param}/${infer Rest}`
    ? Param | ExtractParams<Rest>
    : T extends `${string}:${infer Param}`
    ? Param
    : never;

type Params = ExtractParams<"/users/:userId/posts/:postId">;
// "userId" | "postId"

output

// Template literals combined with infer enable string parsing at the type level

Note Template literal types combined with conditional types and infer enable powerful string parsing and transformation at compile time. This is the foundation for type-safe routing, ORM query builders, and CSS-in-JS libraries.

template literal advancedstring parsing typeroute params typetype level stringextract from string

satisfies Operator

syntax

const value = expression satisfies Type;

example

type ColorMap = Record<string, string | number[]>;

// Without satisfies: loses specific types
// const colors: ColorMap = { ... } → all values are string | number[]

// With satisfies: validates shape AND keeps specific types
const colors = {
  red: "#ff0000",
  green: [0, 255, 0],
  blue: "#0000ff",
} satisfies ColorMap;

colors.red.toUpperCase();   // OK — TypeScript knows red is string
colors.green.map(c => c);   // OK — TypeScript knows green is number[]
// colors.red.map(c => c);  // Error — string has no .map

output

// satisfies validates compatibility without widening the inferred type

Note Added in TS 4.9. satisfies checks that a value matches a type without changing the inferred type. This gives you the best of both worlds: validation that the shape is correct, plus precise inference of each property. Use it instead of explicit type annotations when you want both safety and specificity.

satisfiesvalidate typecheck without wideningsatisfies operatortype validation

keyof & typeof Operators

syntax

type Keys = keyof Type;
type ValueType = typeof runtimeValue;

example

interface Product {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  price: number;
}

type ProductKey = keyof Product; // "id" | "name" | "price"

function pluck<T, K extends keyof T>(items: T[], key: K): T[K][] {
  return items.map(item => item[key]);
}

// typeof: extract type from a runtime value
const defaultSettings = {
  volume: 50,
  brightness: 80,
  darkMode: true,
};

type Settings = typeof defaultSettings;
// { volume: number; brightness: number; darkMode: boolean }

output

// keyof extracts property names; typeof extracts the type of a value

Note keyof works on types; typeof works on values. They are often combined: keyof typeof myObject gives you the union of property names of a runtime object. typeof only works with variables and properties, not with arbitrary expressions like function calls.

keyoftypeofproperty names typeextract keysvalue to typeobject keys type