typescript-best-practices

To enforce type-safety and prevent invalid states in TypeScript, apply type-first development patterns like discriminated unions, branded types, and exhaustive checks. These patterns restrict data models to valid configurations, reducing runtime errors and API drift.

Runtime validation with Zod works by parsing untrusted input against schema definitions to ensure data integrity. This type-first pattern enforces strict typing across frontend and backend codebases, preventing API drift and runtime errors before processing logic executes.

The best way to start type-first development in a React project is to enable strict mode in tsconfig.json. Define data models with interfaces and types before implementation, then gradually refactor existing code to introduce type-safety improvements.

Yes, strict typing in tsconfig.json is required to effectively use discriminated unions and branded types. Enabling strict mode ensures the compiler enforces exhaustive checks and prevents invalid states, which is necessary for robust type-first development.

Yes, you can use these type-safe patterns for Node backend libraries. The type-first development approach applies to both frontend and backend codebases, offering practical examples for library authors to improve reliability and enforce strict modular design.