klen/typescript-interface-vs-type

TypeScript: Interface vs Type

Core Principle

Use interface until you need features from type.

This is the official TypeScript recommendation from the TypeScript Handbook.

When to Use Interface

Use interface for:

• Object type definitions
• Extending other object types
• Class implementations
• Declaration merging (augmenting existing types)

When to Use Type

Use type only when you need:

• Union types: type Status = 'pending' | 'approved' | 'rejected'
• Mapped types: type Readonly<T> = { readonly [K in keyof T]: T[K] }
• Conditional types: type NonNullable<T> = T extends null | undefined ? never : T
• Tuple types: type Point = [number, number]
• Function types (though interface can also work): type Handler = (event: Event) => void

Prefer interface extends Over Intersection (&)

When extending object types, always prefer interface extends over type intersections.

// Preferred
interface User {
  name: string;
}

interface Admin extends User {
  permissions: string[];
}

// Avoid
type User = {
  name: string;
};

type Admin = User & {
  permissions: string[];
};

Reason 1: Better Error Messages

With interface extends, TypeScript raises errors at the definition when extending with incompatible properties:

interface Base {
  id: number;
}

// Error immediately at definition
interface Extended extends Base {
  id: string; // Error: Type 'string' is not assignable to type 'number'
}

With intersections, errors only appear when accessing the incompatible property, making bugs harder to catch:

type Base = {
  id: number;
};

// No error at definition
type Extended = Base & {
  id: string;
};

// Error only when used
const item: Extended = { id: 'abc' }; // Error appears here, not at type definition

Reason 2: Better TypeScript Performance

interface extends provides better TypeScript performance:

• Interfaces are cached by name - TypeScript computes the type once and reuses it
• Intersections are recomputed every time they're used, which slows down type checking with complex types

See TypeScript Performance Wiki for details.

References

• TypeScript Handbook - Everyday Types
• TypeScript Performance Wiki
• Total TypeScript - Intersections vs Interface Extends