Crack A Full Stack Developer Interview In 5 Simple, But Doable, Steps.
First there were engineers, then there were software engineers and then WWW began, and the IT industry diversified into multiple roles based on tech tasks. Fast forward into the future, the technology evolved and so did the jobs and the concept of ‘Full Stack Development’ was conjured in the world of software development.
TL;DR : A full stack developer is a software engineering professional who is responsible for working on both frontend and backend development systems. A full stack developer has to be knowledgeable in basic languages, frontend & backend frameworks and databases. A few common concepts to expect during a full stack developer interview are CORS, continuous integration, observer pattern etc.,
In this blog, we’ll be looking at the following points:
- What is full stack development?
- Who is a full stack developer?
- Five ‘simple & doable’ steps that will help you crack a full stack developer interview.
- Common full stack developer interview questions and answers.
- Top 10 full stack developer interview questions.
- Practicing full stack development on Codejudge.
What is full stack development?
As the name suggests, the process that involves the development of both frontend and backend i.e., the full technical architecture and technology stack, is called full stack development.
This process includes three layers:
- Presentation layer (frontend/UX part)
- Business logic layer (backend/server-side part)
- Database layer
If you are a developer looking to evolve into a senior role, this SYSTEM DESIGN INTERVIEW article might be of some help. Read it yourself before sharing it with your friends, colleagues and on social media.
Who is a full stack developer?
A full stack developer is a software engineering professional who is responsible for working on both frontend and backend development systems. These developers design, develop, and maintain fully functioning platforms including databases and servers.
In a sentence, full stack developers have the ability to build entire systems from scratch.
To fully comprehend the role of Full Stack developer, one must understand the web development components — frontend and backend.
The frontend comprises a visible part of the application in which the user interacts, while the backend includes business logic.
A Full Stack developer should be knowledgeable in:
- Basic languages — HTML, CSS, and SQL.
- Front-end frameworks — Bootstrap, AngularJS, VueJS, ReactJS, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, PHP.
- Back-end frameworks — Express, Django, NodeJS, Ruby on Rails.
- Databases — MySQL, SQLite, Postgres, MongoDB, Cassandra, Apache storm, Sphinx.
- Additional skills — Git, Machine Learning, SSH, Linux Command, Data Structures, Character encoding.
Some well-known tools and platforms used by full stack developers to make development more accessible and efficient are:
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Five ‘simple & doable’ steps that will help you crack a full stack developer interview.
Like every other craft in the cosmos, becoming a great full stack developer require utmost focus, persistence and patience.
However, if you follow these 5 simple steps, you might get closer to your dream job. (If your dream job is to work in the tech industry as a full stack developer.)
Step 1: Get thorough with the ‘BASICS’.
No matter how well-versed you are with modern technologies, tools and frameworks it is still important to have a strong knowledge over basic technical concepts.
Sometimes, it’s the simplest of questions that will help you win the interview based on how you articulate the solution.
So, be prepared for anything by having a firm foundation.
Step 2: Practice solving real-world problems.
Every developer has to be a problem solver by heart and mind.
A good developer writes good code, but a great developer solves the problem before writing code.
So take on a set of problems of different difficulty levels and come up with creative and optimized solutions.
Step 3: Practice full stack development by building micro-projects.
Every master was once a student and it is only by practicing you can become a great developer.
Building micro-projects will strengthen your project development skills while designing applications for the real world.
Start practicing on Codejudge not just for full stack developer role, but for any tech role.
Step 4: Put yourself through multiple mock interview sessions.
The age of interviews has changed and now companies expect you to have solved some real-world problems that have made impact even before you apply for any role.
So the best course of action is to take as many mock interviews as possible before you appear for the actual one.
Step 5: Learn to think like a leader while solving problems and writing code.
Full stack developer role isn’t just like any other application developer role, it requires you to take ownership of all the tasks from start to finish.
You’re aren’t just building a part of a whole, but you will be working to create a whole system or an entire feature.
So, it is important you start to think like a leader while coding. This quality will definitely help as you progress in your career.
Now that you know FIVE steps of cracking a developer interview, read these FIVE HABITS A DEVELOPER SHOULD AVOID AT ANY COST!
Common full stack developer interview questions and answers.
What is CORS?
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is an HTTP-header based mechanism that allows a server to indicate any origins (domain, scheme, or port) other than its own from which a browser should permit loading resources.
CORS depends on a mechanism by which browsers make a “preflight” request to the server hosting the cross-origin resource, in order to check that the server will permit the actual request.
In that preflight, the browser sends headers that indicate the HTTP method and headers that will be used in the actual request.
An example of a cross-origin request: the front-end JavaScript code served from https://domain-a.com uses XMLHttpRequest to make a request for https://domain-b.com/data.json.
What is continuous integration?
Continuous integration is a DevOps software development practice where developers regularly merge their code changes into a central repository, after which automated builds and tests are run.
Continuous integration most often refers to the build or integration stage of the software release process and entails both an automation component (e.g. a CI or build service) and a cultural component (e.g. learning to integrate frequently).
The key goals of continuous integration are to find and address bugs quicker, improve software quality, and reduce the time it takes to validate and release new software updates.
What does the observer pattern mean?
Observer pattern is used when there is one-to-many relationship between objects such as if one object is modified, its dependent objects are to be notified automatically.
Observer pattern falls under the behavioral pattern category.
Why is Continuous Integration Needed?
In the past, developers on a team might work in isolation for an extended period of time and only merge their changes to the master branch once their work was completed.
This made merging code changes difficult and time-consuming, and also resulted in bugs accumulating for a long time without correction. These factors made it harder to deliver updates to customers quickly.
While these are some commonly asked questions and answers in full stack development interviews, here are top ten questions that one may have to answer during the interview
Top 10 full stack developer interview questions
- How would you find a memory leak?
- Explain how you would share code between files.
- Explain how you would reduce the loading time for a website.
- What is Multithreading?
- How is GraphQL different from REST?
- Explain how pair programming works.
- What is the hardest solution you wrote the code for?
- What is the Difference Between “Git Pull” and “Git Fetch”?
- What are the Differences Between ES6 and ES5 Function Constructors?
- What are the latest trends in Full Stack Web Development?
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Some sample micro-projects related to full stack development that developers can practice for FREE!
