PodRocket - A web development podcast from LogRocket Typescript Is SO SLOW...Or Is It? with Mike Hartington
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Jul 31, 2025 Mike Hartington, Director of Developer Relations at NX, shares insights from his recent talk at React Miami, focusing on TypeScript's performance issues in large codebases. He discusses strategies like project references and workspaces that can greatly enhance TypeScript development. The future of TypeScript may lie in a Go-based compiler, which could deliver dramatic speed improvements. Mike also reflects on the impact of lengthy CI processes and the importance of modular structures in boosting project efficiency, all while keeping a lighthearted tone.
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TypeScript Slowness Clarified
- TypeScript's slowness mainly affects large projects with hundreds of files or restrictive CI environments, not small projects.
- Build time slowness impacts developer experience but not runtime user experience, separating dev ergonomics from user impact.
Avoid Paths for Performance
- Avoid using TypeScript path aliases in large projects as they don't isolate code and cause slow compile times.
- Instead, isolate modules properly as paths only rewrite imports, making the compiler treat everything as one large program.
Use Project References
- Use TypeScript project references to split your codebase into isolated modules with individual tsconfigs.
- This isolation speeds up compilation by allowing TypeScript to build smaller units independently and reuse cached results.