Core JavaScript Interview Questions and Answers
1. What are the different data types in JavaScript?
Answer:
• Primitive: String, Number, Boolean, Null, Undefined, Symbol, BigInt
• Non-primitive: Object (including arrays, functions)
2. Difference between var , let , and const ?
Answer:
• var : function-scoped, can be re-declared and updated.
• let : block-scoped, can be updated but not re-declared in same scope.
• const : block-scoped, cannot be updated or re-declared.
3. What is hoisting?
Answer: Hoisting is JavaScript's default behavior of moving declarations to the top of the current scope.
4. Difference between == and === ?
Answer:
• == : compares values after type coercion.
• === : compares values and types.
5. What is a closure?
Answer: A closure is a function that remembers its outer variables even after the outer function has
finished executing.
6. What is scope?
Answer: Scope determines the accessibility of variables. JavaScript has global, function, and block scopes.
7. What are truthy and falsy values?
Answer:
• Falsy: false, 0, '', null, undefined, NaN
• Everything else is truthy.
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8. null vs undefined ?
Answer:
• null : explicitly assigned to indicate no value.
• undefined : variable declared but not assigned a value.
9. typeof vs instanceof ?
Answer:
• typeof : checks data type.
• instanceof : checks if an object is an instance of a specific constructor.
10. Template literals?
Answer: ES6 feature using backticks (``) allowing embedded expressions: Hello, ${name}
11. Function declaration vs function expression?
Answer:
• Declaration: hoisted.
• Expression: not hoisted.
12. Arrow function vs regular function?
Answer: Arrow functions:
• No this binding.
• Cannot be used as constructors.
13. What is this ?
Answer: this refers to the object that is executing the current function.
14. What is the call stack?
Answer: A data structure that tracks function calls in LIFO order.
15. Event loop?
Answer: Handles asynchronous code by managing the call stack and callback queue.
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16. call() , apply() , bind() ?
Answer:
• call() : invokes function with arguments individually.
• apply() : invokes function with arguments as an array.
• bind() : returns new function with bound context.
17. First-class functions?
Answer: Functions can be treated as variables, passed as arguments, or returned from other functions.
18. Currying?
Answer: Transforming a function with multiple arguments into a sequence of functions each taking one
argument.
19. Loop through array/object?
Answer:
• Arrays: for , for...of , forEach
• Objects: for...in , Object.keys()
20. for...in vs for...of ?
Answer:
• for...in : iterates over keys.
• for...of : iterates over values.
21. Array methods?
Answer:
• map() : returns new array.
• filter() : returns filtered array.
• reduce() : returns single value.
• forEach() : iterates over array, no return.
22. Destructuring?
Answer: Extracting values from arrays/objects into variables.
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23. Clone object/array?
Answer:
• Shallow copy: Object.assign({}, obj) , [...arr]
• Deep copy: JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(obj))
24. Callbacks?
Answer: Functions passed as arguments to be called later.
25. Promises?
Answer: An object representing the eventual completion/failure of an async operation.
26. async / await ?
Answer: Syntax to write asynchronous code that looks synchronous.
27. Error handling in async?
Answer: Use try...catch with async/await , or .catch() with Promises.
28. Microtasks vs macrotasks?
Answer:
• Microtasks: Promise.then() , queueMicrotask()
• Macrotasks: setTimeout() , setInterval()
29. Spread vs rest operator?
Answer:
• Spread: ... to expand.
• Rest: ... to collect.
30. Default parameters?
Answer: Function parameters with default values: function(a = 1) {}
31. ES6 destructuring?
Answer: Extracting data from arrays/objects: const {a} = obj or const [a] = arr
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32. Set and Map ?
Answer:
• Set : stores unique values.
• Map : stores key-value pairs with any type of key.
33. Optional chaining & nullish coalescing?
Answer:
• ?. : safely access deeply nested properties.
• ?? : fallback only if null or undefined .
34. DOM interaction?
Answer: Using methods like getElementById , querySelector , etc.
35. Event bubbling vs capturing?
Answer:
• Bubbling: event moves from target to root.
• Capturing: event moves from root to target.
36. Event delegation?
Answer: Attaching event handler to parent instead of individual elements.
37. preventDefault() & stopPropagation() ?
Answer:
• preventDefault() : stops default action.
• stopPropagation() : stops event from bubbling up.
38. localStorage vs sessionStorage vs cookies?
Answer:
• localStorage : persistent until cleared.
• sessionStorage : cleared on tab close.
• cookies : sent with HTTP requests.
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39. [] + {} vs {} + [] ?
Answer:
• [] + {} = '[object Object]'
• {} + [] = 0 (interpreted as code block + array)
40. IIFE?
Answer: Immediately Invoked Function Expression: (function(){})()
41. Debounce vs throttle?
Answer:
• Debounce: delay execution until inactivity.
• Throttle: limit function calls to once per interval.
42. Memoization?
Answer: Caching the result of function calls.
43. Object.freeze() vs Object.seal() ?
Answer:
• freeze() : no changes allowed.
• seal() : can't add/delete, but can modify.
44. Reverse a string?
function reverse(str) {
return str.split('').reverse().join('');
}
45. Flatten nested array?
function flatten(arr) {
return arr.flat(Infinity);
}
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46. Palindrome check?
function isPalindrome(str) {
return str === str.split('').reverse().join('');
}
47. Debounce function?
function debounce(fn, delay) {
let timeout;
return function(...args) {
clearTimeout(timeout);
timeout = setTimeout(() => fn.apply(this, args), delay);
}
}
48. Factorial?
function factorial(n) {
return n <= 1 ? 1 : n * factorial(n - 1);
}
49. Find duplicates in array?
function findDuplicates(arr) {
return arr.filter((item, index) => arr.indexOf(item) !== index);
}
50. Deep vs shallow copy?
let shallow = {...obj};
let deep = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(obj));
