
MERN Full Stack Interview Questions and Answers
Top 100 Full Stack Interview Questions for Freshers
MERN Full Stack Development is one of the most in-demand skills in top tech companies, including IDM TechPark. Mastering both frontend and backend technologies, databases, and deployment strategies makes a MERN Full Stack Developer a valuable asset in modern software development.
To secure a MERN Full Stack Developer role at IDM TechPark, candidates must be proficient in technologies like MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js, along with REST APIs, GraphQL, authentication, cloud services, and DevOps. Candidates must also be prepared to tackle both the MERN Full Stack Online Assessment and Technical Interview Round.
To help you succeed, we have compiled a list of the Top 100 MERN Full Stack Developer Interview Questions along with their answers. Mastering these will give you a strong edge in cracking MERN Full Stack Development interviews at IDM TechPark.
1. What is MERN Stack?
Answer:
MERN stands for:
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MongoDB – NoSQL database
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Express.js – Backend framework
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React.js – Frontend library
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Node.js – JavaScript runtime
2. Why use MERN over other stacks?
Answer:
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Uses JavaScript across frontend & backend.
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Fast development with reusable components.
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JSON support in MongoDB for easy data exchange.
3. How do you create a REST API using Express.js?
Answer:
const express = require('express'); const app = express(); app.get('/api', (req, res) => res.json({ message: "Hello API" })); app.listen(5000, () => console.log('Server running on port 5000'));
4. How does React handle state management?
Answer:
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useState for component-level state.
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Context API for global state.
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Redux for advanced state management.
5. What is JSX in React?
Answer:
JSX (JavaScript XML) allows writing HTML inside JavaScript.
Example:
const element = <h1>Hello, React!</h1>;
6. How do you connect a React frontend to a Node.js backend?
Answer:
Use fetch or Axios in React to call backend API.
Example:
fetch("http://localhost:5000/api") .then(response => response.json()) .then(data => console.log(data));
7. How do you secure an Express.js API?
Answer:
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Use JWT (JSON Web Token) for authentication.
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Implement CORS policy.
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Sanitize inputs to prevent SQL Injection & XSS.
8. How do you set up a MongoDB connection in Node.js?
Answer:
const mongoose = require('mongoose'); mongoose.connect("mongodb://localhost:27017/myDB", { useNewUrlParser: true }) .then(() => console.log("MongoDB Connected")) .catch(err => console.error(err));
9. What is the difference between SQL and NoSQL?
Answer:
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SQL: Structured data, tables, relational.
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NoSQL (MongoDB): Flexible schema, document-based, JSON storage.
10. What is middleware in Express.js?
Answer:
Middleware is a function that runs between request and response.
Example:
app.use((req, res, next) => { console.log("Middleware executed"); next(); });
11. How do you deploy a MERN app?
Answer:
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Use Vercel/Netlify for React frontend.
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Use Heroku/DigitalOcean for Node.js backend.
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Use MongoDB Atlas for database hosting.
12. What is Redux and why is it used?
Answer:
Redux is a state management library for React. It centralizes the application state, making it predictable.
13. How do you handle authentication in MERN?
Answer:
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Use JWT tokens for authentication.
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Store tokens in httpOnly cookies for security.
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Implement bcrypt.js for password hashing.
14. What is a Higher Order Component (HOC) in React?
Answer:
An HOC is a function that takes a component and returns a new component.
Example:
const withLogging = (WrappedComponent) => { return (props) => { console.log("Component Rendered"); return <WrappedComponent {...props} />; }; };
15. How do you create a MongoDB schema in Mongoose?
Answer:
const mongoose = require('mongoose'); const UserSchema = new mongoose.Schema({ name: String, email: String, password: String }); const User = mongoose.model('User', UserSchema);
16. What is the Virtual DOM in React?
Answer:
The Virtual DOM is a lightweight copy of the real DOM that React updates efficiently without reloading the entire page.
17. What is CORS and how do you handle it in Express.js?
Answer:
CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) allows frontend-backend communication from different domains.
Example:
const cors = require('cors'); app.use(cors());
18. What is the difference between useEffect and useLayoutEffect in React?
Answer:
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useEffect runs after render.
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useLayoutEffect runs before the browser paints the screen, making it synchronous.
19. How do you optimize a MERN app for performance?
Answer:
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Use React.memo to prevent unnecessary re-renders.
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Use pagination to optimize API calls.
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Use Redis caching for frequent database queries.
20. What is React Router and how does it work?
Answer:
React Router enables client-side routing.
Example:
import { BrowserRouter, Route } from 'react-router-dom'; <BrowserRouter> <Route path="/home" component={Home} /> </BrowserRouter>
21. How do you handle file uploads in MERN?
Answer:
Use Multer middleware in Express.js.
Example:
const multer = require('multer'); const upload = multer({ dest: 'uploads/' }); app.post('/upload', upload.single('file'), (req, res) => { res.send("File uploaded!"); });
22. What is GraphQL, and how does it compare to REST?
Answer:
GraphQL is a query language for APIs. Unlike REST, it fetches only required data, reducing over-fetching.
23. How do you implement socket.io for real-time communication?
Answer:
const io = require('socket.io')(server); io.on('connection', socket => { socket.on('message', data => io.emit('message', data)); });
24. What is the difference between useState and useReducer in React?
Answer:
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useState: Simple state management.
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useReducer: Used for complex state logic.
25. What is hydration in React?
Answer:
Hydration is used in Server-Side Rendering (SSR) to attach event listeners to pre-rendered HTML.
This MERN Full Stack Q&A covers essential backend, frontend, database, and deployment concepts. Let me know if you need more questions or explanations! 🚀