Introduction
Zod is a schema validation library for TypeScript that automatically infers types from your schemas. Forget about writing duplicate types.
Why Zod
Unlike Yup or Joi, Zod is designed for TypeScript from the start. Types are automatically inferred with z.infer<typeof schema>, no duplicated types.
Basic Schemas
z.string(), z.number(), z.object({ name: z.string() }). Zod supports all JavaScript types plus complex types like unions, tuples, and discriminated unions.
API Validation
Use Zod to validate API responses, forms, or environment variables. A Zod schema gives you type safety and runtime validation in one place.
Refinements and Transforms
z.string().email() validates emails. z.string().transform(s => s.trim()) transforms data. Create custom validations with .refine().
Framework Integration
Zod integrates with tRPC, Next.js Server Actions, and React forms. It's the most popular validation library in the TypeScript ecosystem.
Conclusion
Zod simplifies data validation with automatically inferred types. At Vynta, we use it in all our TypeScript projects for added safety.