What is Typescript? Is it > JavaScript ?
TL;DR:
It was about time to recap with it can be done with TypeScrypt (and what not)
+++ Update on knitting blog for a future entrepreneursheep
Intro
Quite a few years back, a colleague mentioned that we should learn about TS and just create some paid PowerBI panels that we could sell.
We did not.
But between all the websites Ive been exploring with, its time to put together what it is TS and how it superseeds JS.
TS
If you know JS, going to TS should be relatively simple.
You can get to know the Docs of any npm package that uses typescript: https://tsdocs.dev/
TS x PB
You could even use TypeScript with Pocketbase.
And avoid writing Python code at all
A TypeScript class is not limited to being the UI client.
TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript.
Since JavaScript can run on both the front-end (in a browser) and the back-end (using a runtime like Node.js)…
… TypeScript can be used in both places as well!
About TS Classes and PB… 🚀
However, the key distinction in the original comparison was about the location and nature of the logic, not the language itself.
When I said “TypeScript class connected to PocketBase”, I was assuming a common and simple use case: a class within a client-side application (like a React or Angular app) that directly uses the PocketBase SDK to interact with the database. In this scenario, the TypeScript code is the “UI client” because it’s running in the user’s browser, handling the user interface and making direct calls to the PocketBase server.
The “Flask + PocketBase” setup, on the other hand, describes a separate backend server. This server is not running in the user’s browser; it’s a completely different application. The UI client (which could be written in TypeScript, or any other language) makes requests to the Flask server, and the Flask server then handles the complex logic before communicating with PocketBase.
Where TypeScript can be a backend
You can absolutely use TypeScript to build a backend server, just like you would with Flask or any other backend framework.
For example, you could use a framework like NestJS or Express.js with TypeScript to create a powerful backend API.
In that case, the architecture would look like this:
TypeScript UI Client —(API calls)—> TypeScript Backend Server —(database calls)—> PocketBase
In this architecture, the “TypeScript Backend Server” would be the equivalent of the “Flask” part in the original comparison.
It would have the same ability to handle complex logic, middleware, and custom API endpoints.
So, to clarify:
- A TypeScript class in a simple client-side application is the “client.”
- A TypeScript class (or an entire application) can also be a backend server, which would allow it to handle complex logic in the same way Flask does.
The original comparison was designed to highlight the difference between a direct client-to-database connection and a more robust client-to-backend-to-database architecture, regardless of the language used for the client or backend.
Conclusions
Thats about typescript.
Now: Do you need to be a WebDev to get a cool blog and write publically on the internet?
Not really.
Just get up to date front time to time.
Good recap of whats going on at JS: https://stateofjs.com/en-US
A blog for All
See how quickly you can get a cool (and OSS’ed) Astro Theme going:
Knitting blogging theme:
git clone https://github.com/hasinhayder/storyteller-astro
cd storyteller-astro
npm install
npm run dev -- --host 0.0.0.0 --port 4321 #http://192.168.1.11:4321/MIT | An elegant and minimal blogging/coding/programming theme for Astro
You can ask now coding agents (Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot…) to guide you.
But basically you can do CTRL+F to find which files drive which content.
A good starting point is always ./src/content where you will see some kind of /blog or /article folder with the markdowns that drive the content of your blog.
Just edit one and start writing your thing, is that simple!
Normally the themes bring some instruction on how to edit them
When you are confortable with this, if you want to share it publically, you have one more step.
Deploy your new blog statically to your preferred solution:
You can also create a quick make command that will build and push your changes (manually) to CF, Firebase or any of those:
# Default make goal
.DEFAULT_GOAL := help
.PHONY: install
install: ## Install Node.js dependencies
npm install
.PHONY: dev
dev: ## Start development server on http://localhost:4321
npm run dev -- --host 0.0.0.0 --port 4321
.PHONY: build
build: ## Build the Astro site for production
npm run build
.PHONY: preview
preview: ## Preview the production build locally
npm run preview
.PHONY: clean
clean: ## Clean build artifacts and node_modules
rm -rf dist node_modules
.PHONY: help
help: ## Show this help
@powershell -Command "Get-Content Makefile | Select-String '^[a-zA-Z0-9_.-]+:.*?##' | ForEach-Object { $$line = $$_.Line; if ($$line -match '^([a-zA-Z0-9_.-]+):.*?##\s*(.+)') { Write-Host ('{0,-20} {1}' -f $$matches[1], $$matches[2]) -ForegroundColor Cyan } }"
If you are using Windows, install npde/npm fast: thanks to chocolatey
- Open the Start Menu and search for cmd or PowerShell.
- Right-click on the search result.
- Select “Run as administrator”.
- If a User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears, click “Yes”.
choco upgrade all -y
choco install chocolateygui
choco install nodejs -y
#node -v
#npm -vAs seen with the moto bloger post: you can try with firebase with your gmail account
#npm install -g firebase-tools
firebase login
firebase init
#firebase projects:listYou might also need some git tricks:
choco install gh
gh auth login