---
summary: "TypeScript's any type allows for assigning a variable or function parameter to be of any type, providing flexibility but resulting in a loss of type safety."
---

# The `any` type

The `any` type in TypeScript is a workaround for cases when you don't know what type a value might be. It allows you to assign a variable or function parameter to be of literally any type.

Here's an example of using `any` in a function argument:

```typescript
function greet(name: any) {
  console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`);
}

greet("John"); // Outputs: Hello, John!
greet(123); // Outputs: Hello, 123!
```

`any` lets you do extremely dangerous things in TypeScript. By marking a variable as `any`, you're telling the compiler to ignore any type errors that might occur.

```typescript
const user: any = {
  name: "John",
  age: 30,
};

user.roles.push("admin"); // Runtime error!
```

In the example above, we're trying to push a new value to the `roles` array, but the `roles` property doesn't exist on the `user` object. This will cause a runtime error, but TypeScript won't warn us about it because we've marked the `user` variable as `any`.

## `any` vs `unknown`

The `unknown` type is a type-safe counterpart of `any`, which requires you to perform a type check before using the variable. Unlike `any`, `unknown` can help prevent runtime errors by forcing you to narrow down the type of the variable before using it in your code.

Here's an example of using `unknown` in a function argument:

```typescript
function greet(name: unknown) {
  if (typeof name === "string") {
    console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`);
  }
}

greet("John"); // Outputs: Hello, John!
greet(123); // No output
```

Overall, the `any` type can be useful in situations where you need more flexibility, but it comes with the cost of losing type safety. It's best to use it sparingly and with caution.
