One of the frequently expressed frustrations with JavaScript, especially from users coming from more static languages, is the lack of typing capabilities in JavaScript. Typing provides the ability to define and enforce contracts between interfaces such that interactions can be validated before violated assumptions result in later difficult-to-find bugs. On the other hand, many users that have grown fond of JavaScript have come to enjoy the fast and free style, and the minimalism of simply defining behavior without needing to make extra type definitions. However, these two coding preferences do not need to be mutually exclusive.
The abandoned ES4 effort made a valiant attempt to add typing (without losing dynamism) via gradual typing; however this still demanded the inclusion of intrusive typing annotations—thus adding type constraints to code polluted the otherwise simple direct JavaScript programming style necessitating more complex, difficult-to-follow code. Other efforts include libraries to define types on functions without extending syntax.
It is now possible to unobtrusively define type constraints on properties and methods in JavaScript with portable JSON schema based definitions called JSON schema interfaces (JSI). JSI is a typing system for JavaScript that does not force any new syntax on JavaScript. Schema structures can be used to define the type constraints in a way that works with existing JavaScript classes and objects.
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