Top 20 Apache Solr Interview Questions & Answers for Freshers and Experienced

Introduction

Well, you are here because either you are practicing for the interview or just attended some interview for Apache Solr profile. The good news is that your research ended here and you have reached the right place finally.

In this blog, we will discuss on top Apache Solr interview questions and answers that are commonly asked by the interviewers. The list of questions is prepared by Apache Solr experts having hands-on experience on the platform and taken multiple interviews during the last few years.

We have taken proper care and attention while preparing answers to the questions and they are written after researched work only. Go through each of the questions one by one and get hired by leading MNCs on the completion of your next interview successfully.

Apache Solr Interview Questions

1. Give a quick introduction to Apache Solr?
2. Mention the popular features of the Apache Solr platform?
3. Do you know about Apache Lucene?
4. Explain the request handler in Apache Solr?
5. What are the pros and cons of the Lucene/Standard query parser?
6. What are the necessary details included for “Field type” in Apache Solr?
7. Define the concept of Faceting in Apache Solr?
8. Explain the concept of Dynamic Fields in Solr?
9. Define Field Analyzer for the Apache Solr?
10. Define Tokenizer and its usage in Apache Solr?
11. Is there any process to copy data from one field to another?
12. Define the Phonetic filters in Solr?
13. What is Solr Cloud?
14. Define the copying field in Apache Solr?
15. Define the highlighting in Apache Solr?
16. Why are documents fragmented into sections during query execution?
17. Can you name a few highlighters in Solr?
18. Do you know how to shut down Apache Solr correctly?
19. Which type of data is generally declared by the schema?
20. What are the most common component elements in Apache Solr?

Apache Solr Interview Questions And Answers

In the next section, we will discuss Apache Solr interview questions & answers for freshers and experienced. The answers for each question are prepared after intense research and careful observation only to help you in getting hired by leading MNCs worldwide. We wish you luck for your next interview and a bright career ahead!

Apache Solr Interview Questions And Answers For Beginners

Q1). Give a Quick Introduction to Apache Solr?

Apache Solr is the standalone searching platform used to search contents across multiple websites and indexing docs using HTTP and XML. The platform is based on the Core Java Library named Lucene supporting rich schema specifications and offers flexibility when dealing with various document fields.

Schema generally declares how to index each field, which type of fields are available within a schema, which fields are necessary to define, and which field can be used as a primary key for the database. The platform has an in-built extensive search plug-in API to perform custom search operations.

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Q2). Mention the Popular Features of the Apache Solr Platform?

• This is a scalable platform that offers maximum performance with real-time index facilities.
• It is based on standardized open interfaces like JSON, XML, and HTTP.
• Flexible faceting, advanced, and adaptable search behavior that can be customized based on your needs. Faceting is the arrangement of search results based on real-time indexing of document fields.
• Offers solutions that are compatible with the index for cross-platforms.

Q3). Do you know about Apache Lucene?

Apache Lucene is an open-source, free, and high-performance Java Library that facilitates full-text custom search across multiple websites and various document fields including PDF, excel, word, HTML files, etc.

Q4). Explain the Request handler in Apache Solr?

Every time a search is performed by the user then the search query is handled by the request handler. It will check the logic necessary to follow to execute any search query. Apache Solr contains multiple request handlers for different types of document fields as per the requirements.

Q5). What are the Pros and Cons of Lucene/Standard Query Parser?

Lucene parser has a robust syntax and enables users to perform accurate searches for each of the queries whether it is simple or complex. However, it is not easy to learn the syntax for Lucene Parser so it is vulnerable to errors and only expert programmers can write code for the parser.

Q6). What are Necessary Details Included for “Field type” in Apache Solr?

Every time you create a new field in Apache Solr, it should be given a proper Field name, define the field attributes, an implementation class, and given a brief field description.

Q7). Define the Concept of Faceting in Apache Solr?

Faceting is the arrangement of search results based on real-time indexing of document fields. With the flexible and advanced Faceting scheme, search results become more accurate and smoother even for complex queries.

Q8). Explain the Concept of Dynamic Fields in Solr?

In case, users forgot to define some necessary fields then dynamic fields are just the perfect choice to consider. You can create multiple dynamic fields together and they are highly flexible in indexing fields that are not explicitly defined in the schema.

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Q9). Define Field Analyzer for the Apache Solr?

The task of the field analyzer is to check the field text and generate a token stream for the same. The input text is analyzed deeply and a custom search is performed as defined by the users. Keep in mind that each field analyzer has one tokenizer only.

Q10). Define Tokenizer and its Usage in Apache Solr?

The use of a tokenizer is to divide a stream of text into token series where the token is taken as a subsequence of character in the text. Each newly created token will be passed through filters to add, remove or update the particular token.

Apache Solr Interview Questions For Experienced

Check out the Apache Solr interview questions for experienced professionals with experience of more than 5+ years in the industry.

Q11). Is There Any Process to Copy Data from One Field to Another?

Yes, this is easy with Apache Solr where you can use copying fields to copy data among fields. You just have to make sure that the syntax of the platform has been used correctly at the right time.

Q12). Define the Phonetic Filters in Solr?

Phonetic filters are the special filters in Solr that are used to create tokens with the help of phonetic encoding algorithms.

Q13). What is Solr Cloud?

Solr has unlimited capabilities to perform fault-tolerant accurate searches that enable users to set up huge clusters of Solr servers. These capabilities are served with the SolrCloud in Apache Solr.

Q14). Define the Copying Field in Apache Solr?

The copying field is used to populate fields where data is usually copied or written the same as earlier fields. Make sure that syntax has been used correctly otherwise it may show errors.

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Q15). Define the Highlighting in Apache Solr?

Here, documents will be fragmented to match the query response of the users, and search results become more accurate when the query is performed on small sections instead of the whole document. Solr has a variety of highlighting utilities that help to make solid control over different fields. The different utilities are used by Request Handlers and they are used again by Apache Lucene Parser or Standard query parser to process a series of token or fragmented documents.

Q16). Why are Documents Fragmented into Sections During Query Execution?

This is necessary to divide any document into small sections to perform full-text searching more accurately and precisely. If a search will be performed on the whole document then there are chances that the final output may be disappointed or not as per your expectations.

Q17). Can you Name a Few Highlighters in Solr?

Yes, of course, I can explain a few that I have worked on personally. These are Standard Highlighters, FastVector Highlights, and Posting Highlights. All three are designed carefully to serve a purpose.

• Standard Highlighter gives highly accurate search results even for the advanced or complex query parsers.
• FastVector Highlighter is not as popular as the Standard highlighter yet it can be used to execute simple queries that are easy to work with.
• Posting Highlighter is the most accurate and effective choice for small queries but not suitable for large query terms.

Q18). Do you know How to Shut Down Apache Solr Correctly?

Well, it is easy to shut down Solr correctly. First of all, you should shut down the Solr at the same terminal it was started. You can use the shortcut key CTRL + C to shut it down properly without any loss of data.

Q19). Which Type of Data is Generally Declared by the Schema?

Schema generally declares how to index each field, which type of fields are available within a schema, which fields are necessary to define, and which field can be used as a primary key for the database.

Q20). What are the Most Common Component Elements in Apache Solr?

They are search components, Cache parameters, Request handlers, and the location of the data directory.

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