Self-referencing type alias creates a circular reference

What causes the discrepancy between these two examples?

type Foo = { x: Foo }

and this:

type Bar<A> = { x: A }
type Foo = Bar<Foo>
//   ^^^ Type alias 'Foo' circularly references itself

Aren't they supposed to have the same outcome?

Answer №1

According to the official documentation, a type alias can reference itself in a property but not in any other part of the declaration:

A type alias can contain a reference to itself in a property.

So, as mentioned before, the following code is valid:

type Foo = { x: Foo }

On the contrary, it is not allowed for a type alias to be used elsewhere on the right side of the declaration.

For example, the below code will fail:

type Foo = Bar<Foo>

Answer №2

When it comes to the second scenario, it fails even without using the constraint:

type CustomType<T> = { property: string }
type AnotherType = CustomType<AnotherType> // still results in failure with a similar message

Essentially, the 2nd approach should look like this:

type CustomType = { property: AnotherType }
type AnotherType = CustomType;

This change makes it equivalent to the first method.

Furthermore, when using strictNullChecks, it seems impossible to initialize such a type.

Answer №3

According to the feedback from Jonathan, this solution proves to be effective:

interface RecursiveType {
  [Key: string]: RecursiveType;
}

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