How to set initial state in Redux?
Interviewer Expectations for this Question
01
Core Competency
Assesses fundamental understanding of React conventions, runtime behavior, and memory/performance considerations.
02
Evaluation Criteria
Hiring managers look for precision, avoidance of ambiguous jargon, and ability to explain trade-offs under real production conditions.
Comprehensive Model Answer
Verified Solution
You need to pass initial state as second argument to createStore:
const rootReducer = combineReducers({
todos: todos,
visibilityFilter: visibilityFilter,
});
const initialState = {
todos: [{ id: 123, name: "example", completed: false }],
};
const store = createStore(rootReducer, initialState);
Candidate Response Strategy & Interview Tips
- Start with a concise one-sentence summary: Deliver a direct, confident answer first before expanding into nuances.
- Demonstrate real-world trade-offs: Discuss where this approach excels and when you would avoid it in production systems.
- Discuss complexity & edge cases: Proactively explain time/space complexity or boundary conditions (null values, scale limits).
- Prepare for interviewer follow-ups: Technical hiring panels frequently probe deeper into concurrency, backward compatibility, or alternative libraries.