Nim for TypeScript Devs

juancarlospaco

Juan Carlos

Posted on January 1, 2020

Nim for TypeScript Devs
Feature TypeScript Nim
Execution model JavaScript code (Compiler) JavaScript code (Compiler)
Written using TypeScript Nim
License Apache MIT
Version (Mayor) 3.x 1.x
Typing Static Static
Meta-programming #issue-13252, Decorators are limited ✔️ template, macro
int8/16/32/64 types ✔️
float32/float64 types ✔️
Char types ✔️
Subrange types #issue-225324972 ✔️
JSON types #issue-56296923 ✔️
Regex types #issue-128264906 ✔️
Option types ✔️
Dependent types ✔️
Operator Overloading ✔️
Custom Operators ✔️
Enum types ✔️ ✔️
Immutability Limited, readonly keyword ✔️
Function Arguments Immutability Mutable Immutable
Full DOM API ✔️ ✔️
NodeJS integration ✔️ ✔️
Generics ✔️ ✔️
Type inference ✔️ ✔️
Closures ✔️ ✔️
Object-Oriented ✔️ ✔️
Methods ✔️ ✔️
Exceptions ✔️ ✔️
Anonymous Functions ✔️ ✔️
Arrow Functions ✔️ ✔️
Array Comprehensions ✔️ ✔️
Formatted String Literals ✔️ ✔️
FFI ✔️ JS only ✔️ C/C++/JS
Async ✔️ ✔️
Regex ✔️ ✔️
Self-Documentation comments ✔️ ✔️
Package Publishing ✔️ ✔️
Package Manager ✔️ ✔️
Code AutoFormatter ✔️ via NPM ✔️ Nimpretty
Syntax similar to JavaScript CoffeeScript or Python

Alt Text

Variables

Creating a new variable uses var or let or const.
Nim has immutability and compile-time function execution.
You can assign functions to variables.

  • const is different from TypeScript by being truly immutable.
Declaration Compile-Time Run-Time Immutable Requires Assignment
var ✔️
let ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
const ✔️ ✔️ ✔️

Compile-Time Function Execution

Nim has Compile-Time Function Execution that allows you to run Backend-like code at compile-time and use it on Frontend at run-time.
Compile-time FFI is also possible, you can pull data from C/C++ libs at compile-time and use it on Frontend at run-time.
Most code that works at compile-time and NimScript also tends to work for Frontend.

Example: Compile-time recursive file system walk module.

Svelte

Nim has some similarities with Svelte for Frontend, but at the time of writing Svelte does not fully supports TypeScript.
Svelte can not do Backend (is not designed to).

Build Modes

Feature Release Build Debug Build
Speed Fast Slow
File Size Small Big
Optimized ✔️
Tracebacks ✔️
Run-time checks ✔️
Compile-time checks ✔️ ✔️
assert ✔️
doAssert ✔️ ✔️
  • Once compiled it wont need Nim anymore, 100% dependency-free.

Hello World

echo "Hello World"
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Console Hello World:

console.log("Hello World")
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Thank you for playing

There's bridged Gitter, Matrix, Telegram, IRC, Discord for Nim, come say Hi.

Nim Homepage
Learn Nim today.
Grupo de Telegram en Español.

👑

💖 💪 🙅 🚩
juancarlospaco
Juan Carlos

Posted on January 1, 2020

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