90+ Software Engineering Specialist Interview Questions and Answers

Object-oriented programming concepts in Java

• Encapsulation: Hiding implementation details and exposing only necessary information

• Inheritance: Creating new classes from existing ones, inheriting properties and methods

• Polymorphism: Ability of objects to take on multiple forms, method overloading and overriding

• Abstraction: Focusing on essential features and ignoring implementation details

• Class: Blueprint for creating objects, encapsulating data and behavior

• Object: Instance of a c...read more

STL vectors have size, capacity, and can be compared to lists for dynamic memory management.

• Size: Number of elements in the vector. Example: std::vector<int> v(5); // size is 5.

• Capacity: Amount of allocated memory for elements. Example: v.reserve(10); // capacity is now at least 10.

• List: STL list is a doubly linked list, allowing efficient insertions/deletions but no direct access like vectors.

I follow Agile methodologies, focusing on iterative development, collaboration, and adaptability to deliver high-quality software.

• Emphasize iterative development: Break projects into small, manageable sprints (e.g., 2-week cycles).

• Encourage daily stand-ups: Foster communication and address blockers quickly.

• Utilize user stories: Capture requirements from the user's perspective for better alignment.

• Conduct sprint reviews: Gather feedback at the end of each sprint to improve fut...read more

Error throwing is generally better for handling exceptions, while error display is useful for user feedback.

• Error throwing allows for centralized error handling, making code cleaner and easier to maintain.

• Example: In a web application, throwing an error can redirect to a custom error page, while displaying an error might confuse users.

• Error display provides immediate feedback to users, helping them understand what went wrong.

• Example: A form validation error can be displayed n...read more

A context manager in Python is a construct that allows for resource management using the 'with' statement.

• Context managers simplify resource management by ensuring proper acquisition and release of resources.

• They are commonly used for file handling: 'with open('file.txt') as f: ...' automatically closes the file.

• Custom context managers can be created using the 'contextlib' module or by defining a class with '__enter__' and '__exit__' methods.

• They help prevent resource leaks a...read more

SOLID principles are a set of five principles in object-oriented programming. Worked on a project implementing SOLID principles. Faced challenges with tight deadlines and changing requirements.

• SOLID principles: Single Responsibility, Open/Closed, Liskov Substitution, Interface Segregation, Dependency Inversion

• Implemented SOLID principles in a project by breaking down functionality into smaller, cohesive classes with clear responsibilities

• Challenges faced included adapting to ...read more

The deployment process in Salesforce involves moving changes from one environment to another in a controlled and systematic manner.

• Changes are typically made in a sandbox environment before being deployed to production.

• Deployment can be done manually or using tools like Salesforce DX or Change Sets.

• Version control systems like Git can also be used to track changes and facilitate deployment.

• Testing is an important part of the deployment process to ensure that changes do not br...read more

Functional components are stateless and use functional programming concepts, while class components have state and lifecycle methods.

• Functional components are simpler and easier to read/write.

• Class components have access to lifecycle methods like componentDidMount.

• Functional components can use hooks like useState and useEffect.

• Class components are typically used for more complex components with state management.

Magento 2 is a powerful e-commerce platform with advanced features for online stores.

• Magento 2 uses a modular architecture, allowing for easy customization and scalability.

• It supports multiple storefronts, enabling businesses to manage various brands from a single backend.

• Magento 2 has improved performance with full-page caching and optimized database queries.

• The platform includes a robust API for integrating with third-party services and applications.

• Magento 2 offers enhance...read more

Routing, hooks, service, and directives are all important concepts in software engineering.

• Routing refers to the process of determining how an application responds to a client request.

• Hooks are functions that allow developers to tap into the lifecycle of a component or application.

• Services are reusable pieces of code that provide functionality to an application.

• Directives are markers on a DOM element that tell AngularJS to attach a specified behavior to that element.

Dunder methods are special methods in Python that start and end with double underscores.

• Dunder methods are also known as magic methods or special methods.

• They are used to define behavior for built-in Python operations.

• Examples include __init__ for object initialization and __str__ for string representation.

• Dunder methods can be used to customize classes and objects in Python.

Implementing cache in core Java involves using data structures like HashMap or LinkedHashMap.

• Use HashMap or LinkedHashMap to store key-value pairs in memory

• Implement a mechanism to check if the data is already in cache before fetching from the main source

• Set a maximum size for the cache and implement a strategy to evict least recently used items if the cache is full

Developed a web application for online shopping with user authentication and payment integration.

• Frontend developed using React.js with responsive design for different screen sizes

• Backend built with Node.js and Express.js for handling API requests

• Database used MongoDB for storing product information and user data

• Implemented user authentication using JWT tokens

• Integrated payment gateway using Stripe API for secure transactions

HOC stands for Higher Order Component in React.

• HOC is a function that takes a component and returns a new component with additional functionality.

• It is used for code reuse, logic abstraction, and render hijacking.

• Examples of HOCs are connect() and withRouter() in React-Redux and React-Router respectively.

Use Callable interface to return Object from Thread

• Implement Callable interface instead of Runnable

• Use ExecutorService to submit Callable and get Future object

• Call get() method on Future object to retrieve the returned Object

Transient, Scoped, and Singleton are different types of dependency injection lifetimes in software engineering.

• Transient: New instance is created every time it is requested. Suitable for lightweight objects with no shared state.

• Scoped: Instance is created once per request within the scope. Suitable for objects that are shared within a single request.

• Singleton: Single instance is created and shared throughout the application. Suitable for objects that are expensive to create o...read more

Joins in SQL are used to combine rows from two or more tables based on related columns.

• Joins are used to retrieve data from multiple tables in a single query.

• Common types of joins include inner join, left join, right join, and full outer join.

• Joins are performed using the JOIN keyword and specifying the join condition.

• Example: SELECT * FROM table1 JOIN table2 ON table1.column = table2.column;

Automating software package creation and deployment process

• Use continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools like Jenkins or GitLab CI

• Create scripts for building and packaging software

• Utilize configuration management tools like Ansible or Puppet for automated deployment

• Implement version control to track changes and rollback if needed

Count the number of duplicates in an array of strings.

• Iterate through the array and use a hashmap to store the count of each string.

• Check the count of each string in the hashmap to determine duplicates.

• Return the total count of duplicates found.

Angular life cycle hooks are methods that allow you to tap into specific points in a component's life cycle.

• ngOnChanges: called when an input property changes

• ngOnInit: called once after the first ngOnChanges

• ngDoCheck: called during every change detection run

• ngAfterContentInit: called after content is projected into the component

• ngAfterContentChecked: called after every check of projected content

• ngAfterViewInit: called after the component's view has been initialized

• ngAfterView...read more

A machine learning model is a mathematical algorithm that learns from data to make predictions or decisions.

• ML models can be supervised, unsupervised, or semi-supervised

• Examples include linear regression, decision trees, neural networks, and support vector machines

• Models can be used for classification, regression, clustering, and anomaly detection

To create a service in Angular, you can use the 'ng generate service' command or manually create a service file.

• Use the Angular CLI command 'ng generate service serviceName' to create a new service file

• Manually create a service file by creating a new TypeScript file with the '.service.ts' extension

• Inject the service into components or other services by adding it to the providers array in the @Injectable decorator

• Define methods and properties in the service class to provide fu...read more

To center a div, use CSS properties like margin, display, and text-align.

• Set margin to auto on left and right sides

• Set display to flex and justify-content to center

• Set text-align to center for inline elements

Java Streams provide a powerful way to process sequences of elements, enabling functional-style operations on collections.

• Streams can be created from collections, arrays, or I/O channels. Example: List<String> names = Arrays.asList('Alice', 'Bob'); Stream<String> stream = names.stream();

• Common operations include filter, map, and reduce. Example: List<Integer> lengths = names.stream().map(String::length).collect(Collectors.toList());

• Streams support parallel processing for perf...read more

Cpp programs can use static, stack, or heap memory allocation for variables and objects.

• Static memory allocation is done at compile time and is used for variables declared outside functions.

• Stack memory allocation is done at runtime and is used for variables declared inside functions.

• Heap memory allocation is done at runtime and is used for dynamic memory allocation using new and delete operators.

Pure pipes do not have any side effects and always return the same output for the same input, while impure pipes can have side effects and may not return the same output for the same input.

• Pure pipes are stateless and deterministic.

• Impure pipes can have side effects like modifying global variables or making network requests.

• Pure pipes always return the same output for the same input.

• Impure pipes may not return the same output for the same input.

• Examples of pure pipes include ...read more

QuickSort is a popular sorting algorithm that uses divide and conquer approach.

• Divide the array into two sub-arrays based on a pivot element

• Recursively sort the sub-arrays

• Combine the sorted sub-arrays to get the final sorted array

• Time complexity: O(n log n) in average case and O(n^2) in worst case

• Example: [5, 2, 9, 3, 7, 6, 8, 1, 4] -> [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]