Faster Babel 7 compiler debuts for JavaScript, TypeScript | Web Development

Babel 7, an upgrade to the JavaScript compiler two years in the making, is now available, with speed improvements and TypeScript support.

The faster Babel should reduce build times. Changes have been made to optimize code. Patches have been accepted from Google’s V8 JavaScript engine team.

[ What is TypeScript? Industrial-strength JavaScript. • See the new features in TypeScript’s frequent updates with InfoWorld’s TypeScript version feature tracker. | Keep up with hot topics in programming with InfoWorld’s App Dev Report newsletter. ]

Also, Babel now ships with TypeScript support. You parse type syntax using @babel/preset-typescript, similar to how Babel has handled the Flow static type checker. But Babel does not do type-checking on TypeScript code; it only transforms the code and will compile regardless of which type errors might be present. Babel does transform the latest JavaScript features to older runtimes and browsers.

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