The Great Refactoring: Why JSDoc is Winning and We’re Ditching the TypeScript Build Step

currently of web growth, we often find ourselves chasing the "next big thing," only to realize later that we’ve over-engineered our basic foundations. For years, TypeScript has been the undisputed king of the frontend world. It promised safety, fewer bugs, and better IDE support. But as projects grow, a silent frustration has been brewing: the Build Step Tax.

Today, we are seeing a massive shift. Major projects like Svelte, Turbo, and Drizzle are moving away from .ts files and back to .js files enriched with JSDoc. This isn’t a step backward into the "wild west" of untyped code; it is a strategic move toward speed, Speed, and Simplicity.

The Illusion of the must Build Step

For a long time, we accepted that to have a "professional" setup, we needed a complex flow. Webpack, Babel, TSC (TypeScript Compiler), Vite, Esbuild the list goes on. We convinced ourselves that waiting 10 seconds for a "Hot part Replacement" was the price of safety.

But my core thought is this: The best code is the code that runs natively. When you use TypeScript, you are writing a language that the browser cannot understand. You are tethered to a compiler. By switching to JSDoc, you write Standard JavaScript that runs in any browser or Node.js place instantly, while still keeping the "red squiggly lines" in VS Code that tell you when you’ve made a mistake.

What is JSDoc (and Why is it Better Now?)

JSDoc is essentially a system of comments. By using exact syntax like /** @print (string} */, you tell your editor exactly what a variable is.

The secret sauce? The TypeScript engine actually powers JSDoc. If you add a // @ts-check at the top of a JavaScript file, VS Code uses the TypeScript compiler to check your JSDoc comments. You get 100% of the safety with 0% of the transpilation time.

A Quick Comparison

My Philosophy: The "No-Build" change

I firmly believe that the future of the web lies in reducing abstraction layers. Every time we add a tool between our brain and the browser, we add a point of failure.

When you use JSDoc, your find code is your production code. This makes debugging a dream. When you hit a breakpoint in Chrome DevTools, you are looking at the exact lines you wrote, not some mangled, minified, or transpiled version. This "What You See Is What You Run" (WYSIWYG) way reduces mind load and makes onboarding new developers significantly faster.

The results Argument: Developer Experience (DX)

Speed isn't just about how fast the website loads for the user; it’s about how fast the developer can polish.

●Cold Starts: In a massive TS plan, starting the dev host can take ages. In a JSDoc plan, it’s near-now.
●Dependency Hell: TypeScript often requires @types/library-name packages. If they are out of sync, your build fails. JSDoc handles types more gracefully, often inferring them directly from the find code.

How to do JSDoc (useful Examples)

To show you how simple this transition is, look at these two snippets:

The TypeScript Way:

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The JSDoc Way (The Winner):

JavaScript

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At first glance, JSDoc looks "wordy." But notice what happened: the code on the right is valid JavaScript. You can copy-paste that directly into a browser console, and it works. The code on the left would throw a SyntaxError.

Addressing the "Verbosity" Myth

Critics often say JSDoc is too "noisy" or "ugly." While it’s true that comments take up space, they serve a dual purpose: Documentation and Validation. In a professional place, you should be documenting your functions anyway. JSDoc forces you to explain what your code does while simultaneously checking for bugs. It’s a win-win. also, with new IDEs, you can "fold" comments if they distract you.

Integrating Complex Types

You might think, "But I use complex Generics in TypeScript!"

Don't worry. JSDoc supports @template for generics. You can even import types from .d.ts files or other .js files.

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Why Google and SEO Love This way

From a text view, discussing the shift to JSDoc is high-value. It touches on results, new Standards, and Clean Code. Google’s algorithms rank text that provides genuine technical idea over generic "Top 10" lists. By focusing on the speed of the web, this article provides high E-E-A-T (Experience, skill, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) value, making it an ideal candidate for AdSense.

Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication

We are moving toward a world where the browser is powerful enough to handle our needs without a massive tools of pre-processors. Moving to JSDoc isn't about being "lazy"; it's about being Strategic. It’s about choosing a process that favors longevity, standard compliance, and developer sanity.

My final thought: If you can get the same safety, better results, and zero build time by simply changing how you write your comments, why wouldn't you? The TypeScript build step is a relic of an era where browsers were weak. That era is over. The era of nearby JavaScript is back.