27 JSP Interview Questions (Example Answers Included)

Updated 25 September 2022

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Java Server Pages (JSP) is a server-side technology that programmers employ to create web-based applications. During a JSP interview, hiring managers can ask various questions to assess your understanding of the JSP life cycle or what specific requirements programmers may fulfil using custom tag libraries. Preparing answers to some interview questions in advance can help you remain confident during the interview and may increase your chances of getting the job. In this article, we list 27 JSP interview questions and share example answers to seven of them help you prepare for your interview.

7 JSP Interview Questions With Example Answers

Here are seven JSP interview questions and their sample answers that you can model create your own responses:

1. Tell us what you know about JSP

Interviewers may often start a JSP interview with this question to know about your understanding of the technology and its technical requirements. An impressive answer to this question is a simple definition of JSP. Consider mentioning your JSP experience and how you used it effectively in the past.

Example answer: 'Short for Java Server Pages, JSP helps developers to create dynamic web pages. With the help of this server-side programming language, developers insert Java code into HTML pages by utilising special JSP tags. In my last role, I used JSP to develop interactive pages. These pages had the ability to change according to how a user viewed them. This helped the client offer an enticing user experience to their customers.'

2. What, according to you, is the scenario where developers prefer using JSP?

Interviewers ask this question to find out if you know in what specific situations you may utilise the features of JSP. You may tell interviewers about its advantages when designing dynamic web pages to give a suitable answer. An appropriate response to this question also includes your JSP experience, which may focus on why and when you use it.

Example answer: 'Creating web pages with dynamic functionalities becomes easy with JSP. By using this programming language, a website can collect user inputs via forms, along with presenting records from a database. In these situations, taking advantage of JSP can be beneficial. I utilise JSP because it helps me to improve resource allocation. I make sure I use JSP when I am already implementing other servlets. During my last project, without JSP integration, site visitors often left the website before the browser loaded it, but after its implementation, we achieved a significant improvement in the dynamic pages.'

3. What is your understanding of the life cycle of JSP?

Recruiters hiring professionals who are working with JSP intend to understand if they know about the stages of the process well. In your response, list the phases in the correct order. Consider starting your answer by telling the name of each phase and explaining them clearly and concisely.

Example answer: 'The life cycle of JSP includes seven phases. The first is translation, where the JSP container inspects the code of a JSP page and parses the code. Then comes compilation. In this phase, the JSP container performs source code compilation. The third phase is classloading. Here, developers load the class into the memory.

The fourth phase is instantiation, where the no-argument constructor of the produced class encounters instantiation before developers place it into the memory. The fifth phase is called initialisation, where servlet configuration initiates. The sixth phase is request processing, which involves JSP processing the requests of clients. This may often be the most time-consuming phase. The final phase of this life cycle is called destroy. Here, the developer unloads the JSP class from the memory.'

4. In JSP, how can a developer use comments?

Recruiters may ask this question to find out if you know how JSP promotes teamwork. In your response, mention how the programming language allows all the team members to collaborate and work efficiently. Talk about some of its best practices. Include in your response what developers may achieve through comments and how you use them. You may also consider including some of its advantages and how you apply the comments.

Example answer: 'With comments, a team of developers may offer clarity to code. In my last organisation, there was a system that ensured everyone working with the code realised how to comment to implement standardisation for every page. There are two types of JSP comments.

Developers use these comments to debug their code. These comments are not available to the clients, but if developers have used HTML comments, then they are only visible in the HTML source. It is important for JSP users to use comments properly and ensure that these comments are only visible to those who are directly involved in the development.'

Related: How To Crack A Job Interview

5. What differentiates include directive from include action?

With a question like this, interviewers determine if you possess in-depth knowledge of JSP and its key components. Clearly highlight your technical knowledge in your response while differentiating these concepts. A comprehensive answer to this question includes key differences between them, which you may share with the help of their descriptions.

Example answer: 'Include directive differs from include action in several ways. A significant difference is that the developer processes the former at the time of translation, while the latter witnesses processing at the time of the request. While determining which one to utilise, I examine the resources. If these resources are static, for instance, an image or a header, then I utilise include directive, given its robust performance. For resources that are dynamic, I usually select include action.'

6. Tell us about some methods for managing exceptions in JSP

With this question, interviewers determine if you know what to do when something unanticipated occurs with the code. They assess your problem-solving skills and your understanding of managing exceptions while developing websites. Highlight your debugging skills in your response by sharing your method for managing exceptions efficiently.

Example answer: 'According to me, the most efficient way to manage exceptions is to prepare an error page. With this, I am able to outline that page by employing a page directive. If there is an error, it appears on a new page, which may show me what exactly the issue is with the code. I even improve this method by specifying error-page elements in a web.xml file. This way, I am not required to commit this action on individual pages.'

7. Is it possible to use JSP to delete cookies?

With this question, interviewers determine if you work methodically when applying your programming skills. Clearly outline the three steps that are involved in the cookie deletion process for a suitable answer. If there are no time restrictions, you may also give a brief introduction to cookies and tell recruiters how they work.

Example answer: 'A programmer can indeed delete cookies with JSP by following three steps. First, they read the existing cookies and then they store them in the cookie object. The second step focuses on setting the age of cookies to zero. They perform this action by utilising the setMaxAge method with which they also delete the existing cookies. The last step is adding the cookies back to the HTTP response header.

A web browser stores cookies as text files. These files have information for tracking. A programmer may read cookies using JSP by creating an array of javax.servlet.Cookie objects. For this, they are required to call the getCookies method of HttpServletRequest.'

20 Additional Questions For A JSP Interview

Below is a list of some other technical questions for a JSP interview:

In JSP, what is a scriptlet? Also, tell us about its syntax.
How is JspWriter different from ServletPrintWriter?
Explain JSP declarations and expressions.
Define page object and pageContext object.
Define JSTL and list its tags.
Do you think JSP technology is extensible?
What is the procedure to create a browser redirection in JSP?
What method do you follow to achieve session management?
Can a developer use JavaScript with JSP pages?
Outline the steps to implement a hit counter in JSP.
What is your understanding of EL objects in JSP?
What is the procedure for managing runtime exceptions in JSP?
Is it possible for JSP to process HTML form data?
In JSP, do you think there is a way to restrict page error display?
Can you define client-side and server-side validation?
What are literals in JSP?
In JSP, do you know how to avoid scriptlet code?
Do you think servlet technology has an advantage over JSP?
What are filters in JSP? Can you also tell us how you define them in JSP?
What do you keep in mind while passing control from one JSP page to another?

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