Unknown type

In TypeScript, the unknown type represents a value that is of an unknown type. Unlike any type, which allows for any type of value, unknown requires a type check or assertion before it can be used in a specific way so no operations are permitted on an unknown without first asserting or narrowing to a more specific type.

The unknown type is only assignable to any type and the unknown type itself, it is a type-safe alternative to any.

let value: unknown;

let value1: unknown = value; // Valid
let value2: any = value; // Valid
let value3: boolean = value; // Invalid
let value4: number = value; // Invalid

const add = (a: unknown, b: unknown): number | undefined =>
    typeof a === 'number' && typeof b === 'number' ? a + b : undefined;
console.log(add(1, 2)); // 3
console.log(add('x', 2)); // undefined