30 Frontend Developer Interview Questions and Answers
Frontend development is a crucial part of web development, focusing on creating visually appealing, interactive, and user-friendly interfaces. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer preparing for an interview, here are 50 essential frontend interview questions to help you succeed.
1. HTML Interview Questions
1. What is HTML, and why is it important?
Answer: HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard language for creating webpages. It structures content using elements like headings, paragraphs, links, and images.
2. What are semantic elements in HTML?
Answer: Semantic elements clearly define the meaning of their content, improving accessibility and SEO. Examples: <article>
, <section>
, <header>
, <footer>
, <nav>
.
3. What is the difference between <div>
and <span>
?
Answer:
<div>
is a block-level element used for structuring large sections.<span>
is an inline element used for styling parts of text within a block.
4. What is the difference between <strong>
and <b>
?
Answer:
<strong>
conveys importance (semantic).<b>
makes text bold without semantic meaning.
5. What are meta tags in HTML?
Answer: Meta tags provide metadata about a webpage, such as description, keywords, author, and viewport settings for responsiveness. Example:
2. CSS Interview Questions
6. What is the difference between relative, absolute, fixed, and sticky positioning in CSS?
Answer:
Relative: Positions an element relative to its normal position.
Absolute: Positions an element relative to the nearest positioned ancestor.
Fixed: Positions an element relative to the viewport (doesn’t scroll).
Sticky: Sticks to a position when scrolling but moves when necessary.
7. What is the difference between em
, rem
, %
, and px
in CSS?
Answer:
px
(pixels): Fixed size.em
: Relative to the parent element's font size.rem
: Relative to the root (html
) element’s font size.%
: Relative to the parent element.
8. What is Flexbox, and how does it work?
Answer: Flexbox (display: flex;
) is a layout model for aligning items in a container along the main and cross axes. Example:
9. What is the difference between grid
and flexbox
?
Answer:
Flexbox: One-dimensional (either row or column).
Grid: Two-dimensional (both rows and columns).
10. What are pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements in CSS?
Answer:
Pseudo-class: Defines special states of an element (e.g.,
:hover
,:focus
).Pseudo-element: Targets part of an element (e.g.,
::before
,::after
).
3. JavaScript Interview Questions
11. What is JavaScript?
Answer: JavaScript is a dynamic, high-level scripting language used to add interactivity to webpages.
12. What is the difference between var
, let
, and const
?
Answer:
var
: Function-scoped, can be re-declared.let
: Block-scoped, cannot be re-declared.const
: Block-scoped, cannot be reassigned.
13. What is the difference between ==
and ===
?
Answer:
==
(loose equality) checks value, allowing type conversion.===
(strict equality) checks value and type.
14. What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous JavaScript?
Answer:
Synchronous: Code executes line by line.
Asynchronous: Uses callbacks, promises, or async/await to handle operations that take time.
15. What are closures in JavaScript?
Answer: A closure is a function that retains access to its outer scope even after the outer function has executed.
4. React.js Interview Questions
16. What is React.js?
Answer: React.js is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces using a component-based approach.
17. What are props in React?
Answer: Props (short for properties) are used to pass data from a parent component to a child component.
18. What is state in React?
Answer: State is a built-in object that stores component data and triggers re-renders when updated.
19. What is the virtual DOM in React?
Answer: The virtual DOM is a lightweight copy of the real DOM, allowing efficient updates without direct manipulation.
20. What are React hooks?
Answer: Hooks (e.g., useState
, useEffect
) allow functional components to use state and lifecycle methods.
5. Web Performance and Optimization
21. What is lazy loading?
Answer: Lazy loading defers the loading of non-essential resources until needed.
22. What is the purpose of the defer
and async
attributes in script tags?
Answer:
defer
: Loads script after HTML parsing.async
: Loads script asynchronously while parsing HTML.
23. What is the difference between local storage, session storage, and cookies?
Answer:
Local Storage: Stores data indefinitely.
Session Storage: Data is cleared after closing the tab.
Cookies: Stores small amounts of data with expiration options.
24. How do you optimize a website’s performance?
Answer:
Minify CSS and JavaScript
Use lazy loading
Optimize images
Use caching
Reduce HTTP requests
6. Miscellaneous Frontend Questions
25. What is CORS?
Answer: Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is a security feature that prevents unauthorized cross-origin requests.
26. What is REST API?
Answer: REST API (Representational State Transfer) is a way to structure API endpoints using HTTP methods (GET
, POST
, PUT
, DELETE
).
27. What are WebSockets?
Answer: WebSockets provide real-time, bidirectional communication between the client and server.
28. What is a Service Worker?
Answer: A Service Worker is a script that runs in the background to enable offline caching and push notifications.
29. What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?
Answer:
HTTP: Insecure communication.
HTTPS: Secure, encrypted communication using SSL/TLS.
30. What is Responsive Web Design (RWD)?
Answer: RWD ensures webpages adapt to different screen sizes using CSS media queries.