Compiling TypeScript to Native C++
A new TypeScript-to-C++ compiler aims to translate TypeScript code into native C++, potentially improving performance by compiling directly to machine code rather than running through JavaScript engines. The approach seeks to leverage TypeScript's type system for optimizations while maintaining compatibility with existing JavaScript/TypeScript codebases.
Background
TypeScript is a "superset" of JavaScript that adds static type-checking. Normally it's transpiled to JavaScript and run by an engine (e.g. V8), which interprets it at runtime — that's slower and more memory-hungry than native code.
A TypeScript-to-C++ compiler is an alternative that translates TS directly into C++, then compiles that to a native binary. The result: 10-100x speed boosts and lower memory use, while still letting developers write in TypeScript. The catch: you lose JS's dynamic features (eval(), arbitrary property mutation) and can't easily use most existing npm libraries that rely on them.
Key players: experimental projects like "TypeScript-to-Native" and various hobby/startup compilers. Microsoft hasn't officially shipped one. Similar efforts exist in other languages — e.g. AssemblyScript (TS → WebAssembly) and Sorbet (Ruby type-checker). The main use case is high-performance applications (game engines, real-time pipelines, embedded systems) where you want TS's ergonomics but native speed.