Streams Interview Questions

Definition

Questions assessing a developer's ability to handle massive datasets using memory-efficient Node.js Streams.

Explain Like I'm New

If an interviewer asks 'How do you handle a file that is bigger than your server's RAM?', the only correct answer is 'Streams'.

Real World Example

Writing a custom Transform stream on a whiteboard to filter out bad words from a live Twitter feed.

Common Use Cases

•Data engineering interviews
•Backend performance scaling

Interactive Example

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Interview Questions

basic

What is backpressure in Node.js streams?

intermediate

How does `.pipe()` handle backpressure automatically?

Flash Cards

Question

What is backpressure?

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Answer

It occurs when a Readable stream is sending data MUCH faster than the Writable stream can process it. The Writable stream's internal memory buffer fills up and overflows.

Question

How does .pipe() handle it?

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Answer

If the Writable stream's buffer gets full, `.pipe()` automatically tells the Readable stream to `.pause()`. Once the Writable stream finishes processing its buffer, it emits a `'drain'` event, and `.pipe()` automatically tells the Readable stream to `.resume()`.