Preparing for a web developer interview can be stressful. You know you have the skills to do the job, but what kinds of questions are they going to ask? Whether you’re an entry-level web developer, a junior front end dev, or an experienced full-stack programmer, these are some of the most common technical terms and interview questions for web developer interviews.
Topics Covered
- What is HTML?
- What is CSS?
- What is XML
- What is JavaScript?
- What is AJAX?
- What is CORS?
- What is an API?
- What is MVC Architecture?
- What is OOP?
- What is SQL?
- What is a RESTful Web Service?
- What is Agile/Scrum/Kanban/etc.?
- What is Pair Programming?
- Can you explain the difference between white box and black box testing?
- How do you keep your JavaScript organized?
- Other than design, what do you take into account when developing a webpage or application?
What is HTML?
HTML is short for Hypertext Markup Language. It is the foundational language used to create websites and all browsers use HTML to determine how to display content.
What is CSS?
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. It is the language that tells the web browser how to display fonts, colors, layouts, and much more. CSS also enables the creation of responsive websites, where the presentation changes based on the device and screen it’s being viewed on.
What is XML?
XML is an acronym for eXtensible Markup Language. Similar to HTML, it is a markup language, but used for different purposes. XML is self-descriptive and used more to transport and store data. Where HTML builds the framework for how a webpage is displayed, XML handles the data transfer.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript (JS) is a programming or scripting language used primarily in web development. It enables you to perform more advanced and complex features on websites than HTML and CSS. Nearly every time a user interacts with an element on a page, that element is using JavaScript.
What is AJAX?
AJAX is an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It is a way to create highly dynamic, fast performing web pages. It allows websites to update small sections at a time, rather than reloading the entire page, resulting in a better user experience.
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What is CORS?
CORS is an acronym for Cross-Origin Resource Sharing. It is critical to HTML5 and pertains mostly to front-end developers. It enables the web developer to use resources from different domains outside of the one being worked on.
What is an API?
API stands for Application Programming Interface. It enables different applications to transfer information back and forth and work together. For example, the Twitter API could communicate with a website to display, share, or comment on tweets without changing to the official Twitter platform.
What is MVC Architecture?
MVC is an acronym for model-view-controller. It keeps the user interface and data separate from each other. MVC is usually used for graphical user interface (GUI) apps. Think of it as three separate layers:
- Model Layer: Holds the data
- View Layer: Transfers that data to the end-user
- Controller Layer: Uses user input to make changes to the model
What is OOP?
OOP is short for object-oriented programming. In programming, objects contain both data and functions. Object-oriented programming focuses on creating those objects, whereas alternatives like procedural programming focus on creating the functions the perform operations.
What is SQL?
SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is used to pull information from SQL databases. As a web developer, database administration likely won’t be your primary responsibility. However, being familiar with how websites retrieve data from databases, especially in SQL, definitely will be.
What is a RESTful web service?
REST is an acronym for Representational State Transfer. A RESTful web service uses the REST architecture allows the client to perform operations using the web-exposed REST API.
What is Agile/Scrum/Kanban, etc.?
Agile is a methodology that guides many Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) process. It is a set of principles that lays the foundation for frameworks like Scrum and Kanban. Familiarize yourself with the particular framework the job will use, and be able to describe it.
What is Pair Programming?
Pair programming, just as it sounds, combines two different developers to work at the same workstation. It is most commonly used in Agile development environments. One of the programmers (called the driver) creates the code while the other (the navigator or observer) reviews it as it’s being created. The two developers are typically equal or similar skill levels and can switch roles at any time. The end result tends to be better quality code resulting in less time needed to test and debug.
How do you keep JavaScript code organized?
There isn’t necessarily a “correct” answer to this question, but you should be ready for it. Do you separate your HTML from your JS code? Do you keep your JS broken down into units then kept in different files? However, you keep your JS organized, be prepared to explain it.
Can you explain the difference between white box and black box testing?
Black box testing only tests whether, given an input, the correct output is produced. Conversely, white box testing tests both the output as well as if the implementation was right or not.
Other than the design, what do you take into account when developing a web page or application?
The user interface (UI) is important, but it’s certainly not alone. Be ready to discuss other critical factors like:
- Security
- User Experience (UX)
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Site Maintenance
- Site Performance
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About the Company:
Peterson Technology Partners (PTP) has partnered with some of the biggest Fortune brands to offer excellence of service and best-in-class team building for the last 25 years.
PTP’s diverse and global team of recruiting, consulting, and project development experts specialize in a variety of IT competencies which include:
- Cybersecurity
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Peterson Technology Partners is an equal opportunities employer. As an industry leader in IT consulting and recruitment, specializing in diversity hiring, we aim to help our clients build equitable workplaces.
