When it comes to JavaScript interviews, employers are looking for practical knowledge as much as theoretical. So, hereβs a list of 20 core JavaScript concepts explained with concise examples to get you interview-ready! π
1. Closures π
A closure is a function that remembers its outer variables even after the outer function has finished executing.
function outer() {
let count = 0;
return function inner() {
count++;
return count;
};
}
const counter = outer();
console.log(counter()); // 1
console.log(counter()); // 2
2. Hoisting π£
In JavaScript, variable and function declarations are "hoisted" to the top of their scope.
console.log(greet()); // Hello!
function greet() {
return "Hello!";
}
console.log(num); // undefined
var num = 5;
3. Event Loop & Callbacks π
JavaScript is single-threaded, and the event loop allows asynchronous operations using callbacks.
console.log("Start");
setTimeout(() => console.log("Async operation"), 1000);
console.log("End");
// Output: Start, End, Async operation
4. Promises π€
Promises handle async operations, with states: pending
, fulfilled
, and rejected
.
let fetchData = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => resolve("Data received!"), 1000);
});
fetchData.then(data => console.log(data)); // Data received!
5. Async/Await β³
async/await
simplifies promise handling.
async function fetchData() {
let data = await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(() => resolve("Data"), 1000));
console.log(data);
}
fetchData(); // Data
6. Arrow Functions β‘οΈ
Arrow functions provide a concise syntax and don't have their own this
.
const add = (a, b) => a + b;
console.log(add(2, 3)); // 5
7. Destructuring π οΈ
Destructuring allows you to unpack values from arrays or properties from objects.
const person = { name: "Alice", age: 25 };
const { name, age } = person;
console.log(name); // Alice
console.log(age); // 25
8. Spread & Rest Operators β¨
Spread ...
expands elements, and Rest collects them into an array.
const arr1 = [1, 2, 3];
const arr2 = [...arr1, 4, 5]; // Spread
function sum(...nums) { // Rest
return nums.reduce((a, b) => a + b);
}
console.log(sum(1, 2, 3, 4)); // 10
9. Prototypes π§¬
Prototypes allow objects to inherit properties and methods.
function Car(name) {
this.name = name;
}
Car.prototype.getName = function() {
return this.name;
};
const myCar = new Car("Tesla");
console.log(myCar.getName()); // Tesla
10. This Keyword π
this
refers to the context in which a function is called.
const person = {
name: "John",
sayName() {
console.log(this.name);
},
};
person.sayName(); // John
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11. Classes π
ES6 classes provide a cleaner syntax for object-oriented programming.
class Animal {
constructor(name) {
this.name = name;
}
speak() {
return `${this.name} makes a sound.`;
}
}
const dog = new Animal("Dog");
console.log(dog.speak()); // Dog makes a sound.
12. Modules π¦
Modules let you split your code across multiple files.
// add.js
export const add = (a, b) => a + b;
// main.js
import { add } from "./add.js";
console.log(add(2, 3)); // 5
13. Map and Filter π
map
and filter
are array methods for transforming and filtering arrays.
const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4];
const doubled = numbers.map(n => n * 2); // [2, 4, 6, 8]
const evens = numbers.filter(n => n % 2 === 0); // [2, 4]
14. Reduce β
reduce
accumulates values from an array.
const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4];
const sum = numbers.reduce((acc, n) => acc + n, 0);
console.log(sum); // 10
15. SetTimeout and SetInterval β±οΈ
setTimeout
delays execution, while setInterval
repeats it.
setTimeout(() => console.log("After 1 second"), 1000);
let count = 0;
const intervalId = setInterval(() => {
console.log("Count:", ++count);
if (count === 3) clearInterval(intervalId);
}, 1000);
16. Template Literals π¬
Template literals allow multi-line strings and interpolation.
const name = "World";
console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`); // Hello, World!
17. Type Coercion π
JavaScript can implicitly convert types, sometimes unpredictably.
console.log("5" + 5); // 55 (string)
console.log("5" - 2); // 3 (number)
18. Truthy and Falsy Values β β
Values like 0
, ""
, null
, undefined
, NaN
are falsy.
if ("") {
console.log("This won't run");
} else {
console.log("Falsy value");
}
19. Debouncing & Throttling β³
Debouncing and throttling are techniques to control function execution frequency, often in response to events.
Debounce (delay execution):
function debounce(func, delay) {
let timeout;
return function (...args) {
clearTimeout(timeout);
timeout = setTimeout(() => func.apply(this, args), delay);
};
}
window.addEventListener("resize", debounce(() => console.log("Resized!"), 500));
Throttle (limit execution):
function throttle(func, limit) {
let inThrottle;
return function (...args) {
if (!inThrottle) {
func.apply(this, args);
inThrottle = true;
setTimeout(() => (inThrottle = false), limit);
}
};
}
window.addEventListener("scroll", throttle(() => console.log("Scrolling!"), 200));
20. Currying π§βπ³
Currying transforms a function with multiple arguments into a series of functions with a single argument.
function multiply(a) {
return function (b) {
return a * b;
};
}
const double = multiply(2);
console.log(double(5)); // 10
Wrapping Up π
These concepts provide a solid foundation for handling JavaScript questions during an interview. Practice writing your own examples to gain fluency with each concept.