MERN Stack Interview Questions and Answers- Part 3
Thinking about switching to a career in web development? MERN Stack could be your best path forward. This popular JavaScript-based technology stack is used by startups and large companies alike to build fast, responsive web applications.
Interviews for MERN roles can be tricky, especially if you’re new to the field or coming from a different background. That’s why we created this helpful guide of MERN Stack interview questions and answers.
It covers key topics like MongoDB data modeling, Express middleware, React component lifecycle, and Node.js APIs. Whether you’re a self-taught coder, bootcamp grad, or someone looking to pivot into tech, this resource is designed to prepare you for the kinds of technical questions hiring managers ask.
By practicing these questions, you’ll improve your problem-solving skills and learn how to talk confidently about your MERN projects. Start preparing today and take the next step in your tech career!
Answer:
Node.js prevents blocking code execution by utilizing callback functions. When an event is triggered, Node.js invokes the corresponding callback, allowing it to handle multiple concurrent operations efficiently.
Answer:
MERN is an abbreviation for:
- ExpressJS
- MongoDB
- ReactJS
- NodeJS
Answer:
The Event Loop in Node.js is used for processing and managing external events and converting them into callbacks. It allows Node.js to switch seamlessly between different tasks or requests, such as I/O calls, ensuring efficient utilization of resources.
Answer:
I/O, which stands for Input/Output, refers to a program’s interactions with systems, networks, and storage devices. This includes tasks such as reading or writing data to/from disks, making HTTP requests, and communicating with databases. I/O operations load data into the machine’s memory for execution after an application starts.
Answer:
The term “control stream” typically refers to the generic code that runs in between non-concurrent work calls or asynchronous operations. It helps manage the flow of control between different parts of a program.
Answer:
Dependency Injection is a technique used to decouple client code from the creation of its dependencies, promoting loosely coupled software design. It allows the modification of an application’s behavior by injecting components. Dependency Injection enables the injection of services in a way that is independent of how the client consumes them, thereby preventing clients from being impacted by changes in underlying service implementations.
Answer:
Class components and Functional components in React differ in several ways:
- Syntax: Class components utilize the class syntax, whereas Functional components use function syntax.
- State: Class components have state, while Functional components did not have state before React Hooks.
- Lifecycle Methods: Class components have lifecycle methods like componentDidMount and componentDidUpdate, while Functional components can use lifecycle methods with React Hooks.
- Performance: Functional components are typically more performant than Class components due to the absence of class instance overhead.
Answer:
Calling a callback function means executing the function and passing it as an argument to another function, while returning a callback function means returning the function as a value from a function. When a callback is called, it runs in the context of the calling function, whereas when it is returned, it can be executed in the context of the function that receives it as a return value.
Answer:
To implement transactions in MongoDB, you can follow these steps:
- Start a transaction using the startSession() method.
- Perform one or more operations within the transaction using the withTransaction() method.
- In case of any operation failure within the transaction, use the abortTransaction() method to roll back the entire transaction.
- If all operations within the transaction succeed, commit the transaction using the commitTransaction() method.
Answer:
In MongoDB, you can achieve a “like” operator functionality by using regular expressions with the $regex operator within the $match pipeline stage of an aggregation query. For example, the following query matches documents where the “name” field starts with “John”:
db.myCollection.aggregate([
{ $match: { name: { $regex: “^John” } } }
])
Answer:
To convert promise-based Node.js applications to use async/await, follow these steps:
- Define an asynchronous function using the async keyword.
- Replace promise chains with await expressions inside the async function.
- Handle errors using try-catch blocks for better error handling.
Answer:
In React, keys are special attributes used to identify each element in a list. The benefits of using keys in lists include:
- Optimized Rendering: React uses keys to efficiently identify changes in lists and update only the necessary elements, improving rendering performance.
- Improved User Experience: Reduced unnecessary re-renders lead to a smoother user experience.
- Easier Debugging: Keys help identify specific components causing issues when errors occur during updates.
Answer:
The MongoDB Aggregation Pipeline is a framework for processing and transforming data within MongoDB. It consists of a sequence of stages through which data is passed, allowing you to perform various operations such as filtering, projection, grouping, and sorting on documents. Each stage in the pipeline processes the data and passes the output to the next stage, ultimately producing the final result.
Answer:
The Event Loop is a core concept in Node.js that manages the execution of asynchronous code. It works by processing events and callbacks, moving them from the callback queue to the execution stack. The Event Loop waits for incoming events or callbacks, executes them sequentially, and then proceeds to the next event or callback in the queue, ensuring non-blocking and efficient handling of asynchronous operations.
Answer:
In ReactJS, you can apply prop validation using PropTypes. PropTypes is a type-checking library that allows you to specify the expected types of props for a component. This helps ensure that the correct props are passed to a component and provides error messages if the prop types do not match the expected types.
Answer:
Yes, it is possible to use Classes in Node.js. Node.js supports ES6 syntax, including Classes, which can be used to create objects with shared properties and methods. However, it’s important to note that while Node.js supports Classes, it is primarily designed for JavaScript’s functional programming paradigm.
Answer:
To update a MongoDB field using the value of another field, you can use the $set operator along with the $ notation to reference the value of the other field. For example, you can update “field1” with the value of “field2” multiplied by 2 using the following update statement:
db.collection.update(
{ },
{ $set: { field1: { $multiply: [ “$field2”, 2 ] } } },
{ multi: true }
)
Answer:
The purpose of using super(props) in a React component is to call the constructor of the parent class and pass the props object as an argument. This is necessary when you want to access the props object within the constructor of your component.
Answer:
You should avoid using Node.js in scenarios where:
- CPU-Intensive Tasks: Node.js may not be suitable for CPU-intensive tasks like video encoding or complex data processing, as it is optimized for handling I/O-intensive operations.
- Memory-Intensive Applications: Node.js may not be the best choice for applications with high memory requirements.
- Real-Time Requirements: If an application has strict real-time requirements, other technologies or languages may be better suited.
- Lack of Required Libraries: If your project heavily relies on libraries or modules not available in the Node.js ecosystem, consider other platforms.
Answer:
You should choose Redis over MongoDB when:
- You need high-speed data access, caching, or real-time messaging.
- Your application requires low-latency response times.
- You have a need for in-memory storage and data structures.
You should choose MongoDB over Redis when:
- You need a database system that supports complex queries and indexing.
- Your application requires persistence and data durability.
- You’re dealing with a wide range of structured or semi-structured data types.