typescript_assertions.ts

function isDate(input: unknown) : asserts input is Date { 
  if (input instanceof Date) 
    return; 
  else 
    throw new Error('Input must be a Date!'); 
} 

function getYear(input: unknown) : number { 
  isDate(input); 
  return input.getFullYear()  // TypeScripts knows that input is Date 
} 


console.log(getYear(new Date('2019-01-01'))); 
console.log(getYear('2019-01-01'));