What is the purpose of the unknown type? How is it different from any?

Answer

The unknown type is a safer alternative to any. It represents any value but requires type-checking before performing operations on it.

let value: unknown;

value = "Hello";
if (typeof value === "string") {
  console.log(value.toUpperCase()); // Safe operation
}

// let num: number = value; // Error without type-checking

Difference from any:

any allows any operation, which may lead to runtime errors.
unknown forces type checks, improving type safety.