Mastering the modern Frontend interview: A deep dive into greatfrontend.com

The goalposts have shifted. Top-tier tech companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon no longer care if you can just center a div or whip up a basic React To-Do list. The modern frontend engineer is expected to be an architect—someone who can design scalable systems, optimize complex critical paths, and solve framework-agnostic JavaScript problems on the fly under intense pressure.

Like many of you, I've been staring down the barrel of these daunting senior interview loops. I knew generic algorithm platforms weren't going to cut it for the domain-specific challenges I’d be facing.

I stumbled upon GreatFrontEnd.com and decided to take the plunge—especially because I managed to snag a solid discount using my old university email address (pro tip for those still with an .edu address!).

After spending weeks on the platform, here is why I believe it is the missing link for frontend interview prep.

"Generic platforms leave a massive gap when it comes to the specific challenges of the frontend domain."

1. THE "RADIO" FRAMEWORK: SYSTEM DESIGN STRUCTURED

The most terrifying part of a Senior+ interview is almost always the System Design round. Unlike backend design, which focuses on databases and load balancers, frontend design requires a delicate balance of component hierarchy, state management, network performance, and user experience.

GreatFrontEnd’s biggest value add is the RADIO Framework, a structured approach specifically designed to stop you from rambling and ensure you hit every positive signal the interviewer is looking for:

R - Requirements: Clarifying the scope intensely (e.g., "Does this news feed need to support real-time updates or just infinite scroll?").
A - Architecture: defining the high-level components and how they interact across the stack.
D - Data Model: Structuring the client-side state and designing efficient API responses.
I - Interface: Designing clear, extensible API contracts between client and server.
O - Optimizations: Deep-diving into performance (lazy loading, virtualization) and accessibility.

This framework turns chaos into a structured presentation.

2. REAL-WORLD CASE STUDIES, NOT THEORY

Theory is useful, but practice is essential. GreatFrontEnd doesn't deal in abstract concepts; it forces you to design the exact products you use every day. You get deep dives into:

News Feeds (Facebook/Twitter style architectures)
E-commerce Marketplaces (Amazon style product grids and filtering)
Collaborative Editors (The complex operational transformation of Google Docs)

Each case study utilizes the RADIO framework to show you exactly what a "Weak Hire" vs. a "Strong Hire" candidate produces in a 45-minute session.

3. THE "GFE 75": THE CURATED CODING LIST

You’ve heard of the "Blind 75" for generic algorithms. GreatFrontEnd has curated the GFE 75, the most critical questions specifically for frontend engineers. This isn't about reversing a binary tree; it's about the practical skills needed for the job:

JavaScript Utilities: You are expected to know how to reimplement core functions like Promise.all, Array.prototype.map, debounce, and throttle from scratch.
UI Coding: Building complex functional widgets like Accordions, Star Ratings, and Tabs using both vanilla JS and frameworks like React.
DOM Manipulation: Proving you understand the browser by traversing and modifying the DOM tree efficiently without relying on heavy libraries.

4. FAANG-VETTED SOLUTIONS

One of the biggest frustrations with free resources is that the "solutions" are often unoptimized code written by random community members.

GreatFrontEnd’s content is created by ex-interviewers from FAANG companies. The solutions aren't just code dumps; they include:

Multiple approaches (Brute force vs. Optimal).
Deep time and Space complexity analysis.
Crucial trade-off discussions (this is what gets you the Senior+ leveling).

THE VERDICT

If you are targeting mid-level, senior, or staff roles at product-based companies, the investment—especially if you can leverage an educational discount like I did—is negligible compared to the salary bump of landing the role.

GreatFrontEnd stops you from "guessing" what to study. It turns the nebulous anxiety of "frontend system design" into a manageable skill you can master with a clear, paved path to success.

Ready to prepare? Check out GreatFrontEnd.com and start with their free JavaScript questions to test your baseline.