How to Create Global Variables in TypeScript with Node.js

At this point, you may know that Node.js version 16 has removed NodeJS.Global in favor of globalThis and because of that creating global variables can be kind of tricky nowadays (check this link for more info).

How did we use to create global variables in Node.js 14 ≤?

Well, it was pretty easy, we just had to extend from NodeJS.Global.

interface CustomNodeJSGlobal extends NodeJS.Global {
  myGlobalVariable: unknown;
}

export { CustomNodeJSGlobal };

Then we had to declare a global variable and like magic, our global variable was available anywhere.

import { CustomNodeJSGlobal } from "/direction/to/global.variables/file";

declare const global: CustomNodeJSGlobal;

global.myGlobalVariable = "Hi mom, look at me, I am global!";

console.log({ myGlobalVariable: global.myGlobalVariable });

How do we create global variables in Node.js 16 ≥?

Now, we only have to declare the types, interfaces or variables in the global namespace, to achieve this we have to create a .d.ts file, look at this example:

declare global {
  var globalString: string;

  interface GlobalInterface {
    value: unknown;
  }

  type GlobalType = {
    value: unknown;
  };
}

export {};

Here we are declaring a global variable, interface and type, with this, all of them will be available everywhere in our project. And yes, unfortunately, we have to use var, otherwise, it won’t work. So far, so good, now if we want TypeScript to recognize our global variable, interface and type, we have to create a @types folder and put there our .d.ts file.

However, this approach is mainly used to declare global variables, if you only need to declare global interfaces or types, there is even a simpler approach. Let’s suppose you want to define a custom DTO as an interface, since a DTO can be used in many places you may find useful to declare it as a global interface or type. How could you that? Well, you only need to create a d.ts file inside your @types folder, let’s image that your DTO represents a user as follows:

interface DtoUser {
  id: string;

  lastName: string;

  name: string;
}

So you only need to create a file, let’s say user.d.ts, inside your @types folder and that’s it. Now, your DTO is available globally, but you could even improve this approach by creating a dto folder and putting all your DTOs there, and then, if you need it, you may create a new folder for your types or interfaces.

Note

This simpler approach is very useful in case you do not need to import types from an external package. In case you want to import a type from an external package, you may run into some issues. For instance:

import { MqttClient } from "mqtt";

interface Route {
  sub: (client: MqttClient) => void;

  PUB_TOPIC: string;

  SUB_TOPIC: string;
}

Because I’m importing a specific type of mqtt package my global type Route will not be detected. There are two solutions to this issue. The first one is to put the Route interface inside global as follows:

import { MqttClient } from "mqtt";

declare global {
  interface Route {
    sub: (client: MqttClient) => void;

    PUB_TOPIC: string;

    SUB_TOPIC: string;
  }
}

export {};

Another approach you can use without using global:

interface Route {
  sub: (client: import("mqtt").MqttClient) => void;

  PUB_TOPIC: string;

  SUB_TOPIC: string;
}

What about initializing variables?

As I said lines above, you can declare global variables, unfortunately you can’t initialize them, why? Because those are type definition files, .d.ts files. That means, you only can define things there.

However, I found an approach you may find useful, let’s suppose you want to use globalString in some file. First, you have to initialize your global variable, I suggest you to do it in the entry point of your app (just to be organized), it will look something like:

// entryPoint.ts
global.globalString = "Hi mom, I am global";

Then, you can access your global variable by using globalString (without global), for example:

// some/other/ts/file.ts
console.log({ globalString });

Custom type folder

In case we want to have a custom location we have to add it to the typeRoots array in our tsconfig.json. Something like:

{
  // ...
  "compilerOptions": {
    // ...
    "typeRoots": ["path/to/our/global/variables.d.ts"]
    // ...
  }
}

In case you are using ts-node to run your project you have to add the files option in your tsconfig.json file, or follow this guide. Personally, I prefer the first option since it is simpler:

{
  // ...
  "ts-node": {
    "files": true
  }
  // ...
}

That’s it, your global variable, interface, and type are available everywhere!

Warning!

Well, at this point you have been granted great power. And…

With great power comes great responsibility. - Uncle Ben.

You must avoid using global variables as much as possible, since it can drive you to Spaghetti code. Remember, they are variables, they can change, so be very careful. If you don’t need to use it, just don’t. You may find this qoura question useful.

Finally, if you have free time, take a look at my npm CLI tool, simba.js. It is something like cra, but for backend development. It uses MongoDB, Express, and TypeScript. And with a simple command, you will have a server running with some endpoints you may find useful.

Happy coding!