Writing quality full-stack TypeScript

Apply these principles when writing or reviewing TypeScript code.

Make impossible states unrepresentable

Use the type system to make invalid states fail at compile time. Fewer reachable states = easier code to read and change.

Branded types

Brand primitives so they can't be mixed up. Validate once at the boundary; downstream code trusts the type.

type PhoneNumber = string & { __brand: "PhoneNumber" };

function parsePhone(input: string): PhoneNumber {
  if (!/^\+?\d{10,15}$/.test(input)) throw new Error(`Invalid: ${input}`);
  return input as PhoneNumber;
}

function sendSMS(to: PhoneNumber, body: string) {
  /* input is trusted */
}

If the project already uses a library with native branded-type support (e.g. Effect), use their primitives instead of rolling your own.

Discriminated unions over flag bags

// Don't — invalid combos representable
type State = { loading: boolean; user?: User; error?: string };

// Do — only valid states exist
type State =
  | { status: "loading" }
  | { status: "success"; user: User }
  | { status: "error"; error: string };

Let the types flow end-to-end

DB schema → server → client should share types without manual duplication. Use whatever end-to-end type tool the project already has (tRPC, oRPC, Elysia, TanStack Start). A users.email branded as Email should arrive on the client still branded.

Don't restate types you can derive. Reach for Pick, Omit, Parameters, ReturnType, Awaited, typeof etc. before writing a new interface. For function arguments, infer from the source instead of typing them by hand:

// Don't — duplicate shape, drifts when the row changes
type UserSummary = { id: string; email: Email };
function renderUser(u: UserSummary) {
  /* ... */
}

// Do — derive from the source of truth
type User = Awaited<ReturnType<typeof db.query.users.findFirst>>;
function renderUser(u: Pick<User, "id" | "email">) {
  /* ... */
}

Pass objects, not positional args

// Don't — swap two args, still compiles
sendEmail("Welcome!", "Hi there");
// Do — order-independent, self-documenting
sendEmail({ to: "alice@x.com", body: "Hi there" });

Skip on hot perf-critical paths; use elsewhere by default.

Standard Schema for shared validation

For libraries or code that doesn't want to pick a validator, accept StandardSchemaV1<unknown, T>.

Tests as real as possible

Don't mock things you can run. Spin up real services:

• LocalStack for AWS
• Miniflare for Cloudflare Workers
• Real Postgres/SQLite (e.g. bun:sqlite), not a mock DB

Mock only third-party services that have no test environment.

OpenTelemetry, not print logging

When adding observability, instrument with OTel spans. The setup cost pays back the first time a user sends a request ID and you can answer instead of guess.