Contents of React Interview Questions

Comprehensive collection of React interview questions and answers covering hooks, components, state management, and best practices.

What is snapshot testing in React?

Snapshot testing is a technique where the output of a React component is captured and stored in a file (called a snapshot).
Future test runs compare the component’s output to the stored snapshot to detect unexpected changes.

How it works:

  • When you first run the test, a snapshot file is generated.
  • If the component changes, the next test run will detect a difference and fail the test.
  • Developers can review changes and update the snapshot if they are intentional.

Example with Jest:

import { render } from '@testing-library/react'; import Header from './Header'; test('matches snapshot', () => { const { asFragment } = render(<Header />); expect(asFragment()).toMatchSnapshot(); });

Benefits:

  • Easy to detect unintended UI changes.
  • Great for tracking visual or structural changes over time.

Caution:

  • Snapshot tests can become noisy if overused.
  • They should be reviewed carefully to avoid blindly updating snapshots without understanding the changes.