Setting Up a TypeScript Project from Scratch

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 30 views

Setting Up a TypeScript Project from Scratch

When starting a new project, it's essential to set up a clear and organized project structure. This not only helps with code organization but also makes it easier to manage and maintain the project over time. In this article, we'll walk through the process of initializing a TypeScript project structure, including setting up the folder structure, configuring tsconfig.json, and initializing a Git repository with an appropriate .gitignore file.

Step 1: Create Folder Structure

The first step in setting up a TypeScript project structure is to create the necessary folders. We'll create the following folders:

src: This folder will contain the source code of our project.
tests: This folder will contain the unit tests for our project.
utils: This folder will contain utility functions that can be used throughout the project.
config: This folder will contain configuration files for our project.
node_modules: This folder will contain the dependencies installed using npm or yarn.

Here's an example of what the folder structure might look like:

project/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   ├── services/
│   ├── utils/
│   └── ...
├── tests/
│   ├── unit/
│   ├── integration/
│   └── ...
├── utils/
│   ├── helpers/
│   └── ...
├── config/
│   ├── environment/
│   └── ...
├── node_modules/
│   ├── ...
└── ...

Step 2: Set Up tsconfig.json

The tsconfig.json file is used to configure the TypeScript compiler. We'll set up the following settings:

compilerOptions: This section contains the compiler options. We'll set the following options:
- target: This specifies the target JavaScript version. We'll set it to es6.
- module: This specifies the module system. We'll set it to commonjs.
- outDir: This specifies the output directory for the compiled JavaScript files. We'll set it to dist.
- sourceMap: This specifies whether to generate source maps. We'll set it to true.
- noImplicitAny: This specifies whether to allow implicit any types. We'll set it to true.
include: This section specifies the files to include in the compilation. We'll include the src folder.
exclude: This section specifies the files to exclude from the compilation. We'll exclude the node_modules folder.

Here's an example of what the tsconfig.json file might look like:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "es6",
    "module": "commonjs",
    "outDir": "dist",
    "sourceMap": true,
    "noImplicitAny": true
  },
  "include": ["src"],
  "exclude": ["node_modules"]
}

Step 3: Initialize Git Repository

The final step is to initialize a Git repository and create a .gitignore file. The .gitignore file specifies the files and folders to ignore when committing changes to the repository.

Here's an example of what the .gitignore file might look like:

node_modules/
dist/
*.log
*.tmp
*.cache

This file ignores the node_modules folder, the dist folder, log files, temporary files, and cache files.

Conclusion

In this article, we walked through the process of initializing a TypeScript project structure, including setting up the folder structure, configuring tsconfig.json, and initializing a Git repository with an appropriate .gitignore file. By following these steps, you'll have a clear and organized project structure that makes it easier to manage and maintain your project over time.

Acceptance Criteria

To ensure that the project structure is set up correctly, we'll check the following acceptance criteria:

Project has a clear folder structure with src and tests directories: The project should have a clear folder structure with src and tests directories.
tsconfig.json is properly configured for a TypeScript project: The tsconfig.json file should be properly configured for a TypeScript project, including the correct compiler options and file inclusion/exclusion settings.
Git repository is initialized with an appropriate .gitignore file: The Git repository should be initialized with an appropriate .gitignore file that ignores the necessary files and folders.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this article, we'll answer some frequently asked questions about initializing a TypeScript project structure.

Q: What is the purpose of the src folder?

A: The src folder is where you'll place your source code. This is where you'll write your TypeScript code, and it will be compiled into JavaScript code that can be executed by the browser or Node.js.

Q: What is the purpose of the tests folder?

A: The tests folder is where you'll place your unit tests and integration tests. This is where you'll write code to test your source code and ensure that it's working as expected.

Q: What is the purpose of the utils folder?

A: The utils folder is where you'll place utility functions that can be used throughout your project. This is where you'll write code that can be reused in multiple places.

Q: What is the purpose of the config folder?

A: The config folder is where you'll place configuration files for your project. This is where you'll store settings and values that are used throughout your project.

Q: What is the purpose of the node_modules folder?

A: The node_modules folder is where you'll store dependencies installed using npm or yarn. This is where you'll store packages and modules that are required by your project.

Q: How do I configure tsconfig.json?

A: To configure tsconfig.json, you'll need to specify the following settings:

target: This specifies the target JavaScript version.
module: This specifies the module system.
outDir: This specifies the output directory for the compiled JavaScript files.
sourceMap: This specifies whether to generate source maps.
noImplicitAny: This specifies whether to allow implicit any types.

You can also specify additional settings, such as include and exclude, to control which files are included in the compilation.

Q: How do I initialize a Git repository?

A: To initialize a Git repository, you'll need to run the following command:

git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

This will add all files in the current directory to the Git repository and commit them with a message.

Q: How do I create a .gitignore file?

A: To create a .gitignore file, you'll need to create a new file in the root of your project with the following contents:

node_modules/
dist/
*.log
*.tmp
*.cache

This file will ignore the node_modules folder, the dist folder, log files, temporary files, and cache files.

Q: What is the purpose of the .gitignore file?

A: The .gitignore file is used to specify files and folders that should be ignored by Git. This is useful for ignoring files that are not relevant to your project, such as log files or temporary files.

Q: How do I check if my project structure is set up correctly?

A: To check if your project structure is set up correctly, you'll need to check the following acceptance criteria:

Project has a clear folder structure with src and tests directories: The project should have a clear folder structure with src and tests directories.
tsconfig.json is properly configured for a TypeScript project: The tsconfig.json file should be properly configured for a TypeScript project, including the correct compiler options and file inclusion/exclusion settings.
Git repository is initialized with an appropriate .gitignore file: The Git repository should be initialized with an appropriate .gitignore file that ignores the necessary files and folders.

By following these steps and checking the acceptance criteria, you'll ensure that your TypeScript project structure is set up correctly and is ready for development.