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Question 18 of 102

What is the difference between arrays and tuples in TypeScript?

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An array holds any number of values of one type, while a tuple has a fixed length and its own type at each position. So number[] is an array type, and [string, number] is a tuple type.

const scores: number[] = [90, 85, 77]; // any length, all numbers
scores.push(100);                      // fine

const entry: [string, number] = ["alice", 90];
const user = entry[0];                 // string
const score = entry[1];                // number
// const bad: [string, number] = [90, "alice"]; // Error: wrong order

type Point = readonly [x: number, y: number]; // labeled and read-only

Tuples suit small, positional data, such as a function that returns two values. React's useState returns a value and a setter this way. For more than two or three fields, an object type with named properties is clearer.

Labels like x and y document what each position means. An optional element makes a tuple's length vary, and a rest element lets it grow.

A tuple is still an array at runtime, so push can add elements unless the tuple is readonly.

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