Installation

Install TypeScript using npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun

TypeScript is a language for application-scale JavaScript development. It adds optional types to JavaScript that support tools for large-scale applications for any browser, host, or OS.

Requirements

TypeScript requires Node.js version 14.17 or higher to run. Check your Node.js version:

node --version

If you need to upgrade Node.js, visit nodejs.org.

Install TypeScript

1. Choose your package manager

   Install TypeScript globally or as a dev dependency in your project:

   npm

   npm install -D typescript
   

   yarn add -D typescript
   

   pnpm add -D typescript
   

   bun add -D typescript
   

   Installing as a dev dependency (-D flag) is recommended for project-specific TypeScript versions. For global installation, use npm install -g typescript.

2. Verify installation

   Confirm TypeScript is installed correctly:

   npx tsc --version
   

   You should see output like:

   Version 6.0.0
   

Nightly Builds

Get the latest features and bug fixes by installing nightly builds:

npm

npm install -D typescript@next

yarn add -D typescript@next

pnpm add -D typescript@next

bun add -D typescript@next

Nightly builds contain experimental features and may be unstable. Use them for testing new features, not production environments.

What Gets Installed

When you install TypeScript, you get two main command-line tools:

tsc

The TypeScript compiler that transforms .ts files into JavaScript

tsserver

The TypeScript language server for editor support and tooling

Both tools are available in the bin/ directory of the installed package:

• bin/tsc - TypeScript compiler
• bin/tsserver - Language server for IDE integration

Global Installation

For system-wide access to TypeScript commands:

npm install -g typescript

After global installation, you can use tsc directly without npx:

tsc --version
tsc myfile.ts

Project-local installations (dev dependencies) are preferred over global installations to ensure consistent TypeScript versions across team members and CI/CD environments.

Updating TypeScript

Keep TypeScript up to date to get the latest language features and improvements:

npm

npm update typescript

yarn upgrade typescript

pnpm update typescript

bun update typescript

To upgrade to a specific version:

npm install -D typescript@6.0.0

Troubleshooting

Command not found

If tsc is not recognized after installation:

1. Use npx for local installations:

   npx tsc --version
   

2. Check PATH for global installations:

   npm config get prefix
   

   Ensure this directory is in your system PATH.

3. Reinstall TypeScript:

   npm uninstall typescript
   npm install -D typescript
   

Version mismatch

If different versions appear in global vs local installations:

# Check local version
npx tsc --version

# Check global version
tsc --version

Always use npx tsc in projects to use the local version.

Next Steps

Quickstart

Create your first TypeScript project

tsconfig.json

Configure compiler options