The role of a Software Engineer at Earthcam holds significant importance in the company’s mission to provide cutting-edge solutions in webcam technology and remote monitoring. Engineers in this position contribute to the development of software that powers innovative products used globally, impacting users in diverse sectors such as construction, security, and environmental monitoring. The projects you will be involved in are not only technically challenging but also strategically vital, enhancing Earthcam’s reputation as a leader in the industry. As a Software Engineer, you will engage with complex systems and collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, develop, and deploy high-quality software. This role offers you the opportunity to work on real-time video streaming, cloud integration, and user-centric applications, providing a stimulating environment where your contributions directly influence product success and client satisfaction. Expect to be challenged and inspired in a role that demands both technical expertise and creative problem-solving.
Phone Screening
reportedInitial phone screening with a recruiter to evaluate candidate fit.
What to demonstrate
- Initial phone screening with a recruiter to evaluate candidate fit
- Depth in JavaScript
How to prepare
- Be able to walk your CV end to end in two minutes, and say why this company specifically.
- Have your salary expectations, notice period and location constraints ready, and ask for the rest of the loop in writing.
Technical Assessment
reportedIncludes coding challenges or problem-solving tasks to assess technical skills.
What to demonstrate
- Includes coding challenges or problem-solving tasks to assess technical skills
- Depth in JavaScript
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: Can you explain the differences between REST and SOAP APIs?
- Answer aloud and timed: How do you manage version control in your projects?
In-Person Interviews
reportedMeet with team members and senior engineers to discuss background and technical knowledge.
What to demonstrate
- Meet with team members and senior engineers to discuss background and technical knowledge
- Depth in JavaScript
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: What techniques do you use to ensure code quality?
- Answer aloud and timed: Describe a time when you had to work under pressure. How did you manage it?
PracHub editorial advice for the preparation topics above.
Be prepared for coding assessments
Familiarize yourself with coding challenges relevant to the technologies used at Earthcam. Practice solving problems on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank.
Research the company
Understanding Earthcam’s products and market position will help you align your responses to their needs during the interview.
Ask insightful questions
Prepare thoughtful questions to ask your interviewers. This demonstrates your interest and helps you gauge if the company is the right fit for you.
Showcase your projects
Be ready to discuss your previous work and how it relates to the role you are applying for. Highlight specific contributions and results.
Choose a category, try a prompt, then open its approach, worked solution or follow-up when you need it.
Write a function to reverse a string in JavaScript.
Write a function to reverse a string in JavaScript.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
How would you implement a binary search algorithm?
How would you implement a binary search algorithm?
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Can you solve a problem involving sorting algorithms and explain your choice?
Can you solve a problem involving sorting algorithms and explain your choice?
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Discuss the time complexity of your solution for a given problem.
Discuss the time complexity of your solution for a given problem.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Provide a coding solution to merge two sorted arrays.
Provide a coding solution to merge two sorted arrays.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Explain why the owner filter ignores the listing index
The only index on resource is (tenant_id, status, updated_at DESC, resource_id DESC). A new endpoint returns one user's resources across all statuses, newest created first: WHERE tenant_id = $1 AND owner_user_id = $2 ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 20. On a tenant with 2M rows it takes 900 ms and EXPLAIN shows a sort above a large scan. Explain precisely why the existing index cannot serve it, give the index that can, and state which of these the new index still will not help: owner_user_id alone across tenants; the same query ordered by updated_at. PostgreSQL 16.
Approach
- Separate the two jobs an index does. For filtering, a composite btree is seekable only on a left prefix, so with no predicate on status the scan can at best range over tenant_id and test owner_user_id per row; PostgreSQL 16 has no btree skip scan to jump the unconstrained column.
- For ordering, the index is sorted by (status, updated_at) within a tenant and not by created_at, so the LIMIT cannot stop early: every matching row is read and then sorted. That is the 'Sort Method: top-N heapsort' line, and it is why the plan reads 2M rows to answer with 20.
- Derive the replacement from the access path — equality, equality, then the ordering column: CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY ON resource (tenant_id, owner_user_id, created_at DESC). The scan seeks to the (tenant, owner) range and walks 20 entries in order, so the Sort node disappears along with the row-read.
- Treat INCLUDE (title, status) as conditional, not free. An index-only scan still visits the heap for any row whose page is not marked all-visible, so on a table taking 1.2k writes/second the win depends on autovacuum keeping the visibility map current, and the wider index costs more on every insert.
Follow-up
- 90% of rows are status='active'. Would a partial index WHERE status = 'active' change your answer, and for which of the three queries?
- A dashboard runs this for 40 owners in one page load. What changes about the design?
Keep soft-deleted accounts from blocking re-registration
app_user holds user_id, tenant_id, email CITEXT, password_hash (NULL for SSO principals), email_verified_at, auth_version, status ('invited','active','suspended','deactivated'), created_at, updated_at, deleted_at. Two live accounts for one address inside a tenant must be impossible, but an address freed by a soft delete must be reusable, and the same tenant may delete and re-register it repeatedly. Write the uniqueness DDL for PostgreSQL 16, then the equivalent for MySQL 8 where partial indexes do not exist, and say what each permits once three deleted rows already hold that address.
Approach
- Start from what is actually unique: not (tenant_id, email), but (tenant_id, email) among live rows. PostgreSQL says that directly — CREATE UNIQUE INDEX app_user_live_email ON app_user (tenant_id, email) WHERE deleted_at IS NULL. A full constraint over the same two columns burns the address permanently the first time someone deletes an account.
- Keep case-insensitivity in the type or the index, never in the application: CITEXT as given, or UNIQUE (tenant_id, lower(email)) as an expression index where the extension is unavailable. A case-sensitive unique column is exactly how two accounts for one human appear.
- For MySQL 8 the predicate has to move inside the key: add a discriminator column that is a constant 0 while the row is live and is set to user_id on delete, with UNIQUE (tenant_id, email, deleted_marker). Live rows share the constant and still collide; deleted rows differ from each other and stop colliding.
- State the NULL variant and its dependency: leaving the marker NULL for deleted rows also works, because a unique index treats NULLs as distinct — true in MySQL, and true in PostgreSQL only under the default NULLS DISTINCT, which PostgreSQL 15 lets you reverse. Check the polarity against the three existing deleted rows: constant-on-live is what preserves the collision you want, and reversing it silently admits duplicate live accounts.
Follow-up
- A deleted account re-registers with the same address the next day. Do the old resource rows follow the new user_id, and how does the API keep the two principals apart?
- How do you honour an erasure request while resource_revision.actor_user_id still references this table?
Describe how you would optimize a web application for performance.
Describe how you would optimize a web application for performance.
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Can you explain the differences between REST and SOAP APIs?
Can you explain the differences between REST and SOAP APIs?
Approach
- Say who the caller is and what they do when the call fails halfway.
- Define the identity of a request so a retry cannot double-apply it.
- Separate accepted, pending, failed and confirmed; they are different facts.
- Design the error taxonomy before the success shape; callers branch on it.
Follow-up
- What happens if the caller retries after a timeout?
- How does a client discover it is on an old version of this contract?
How do you manage version control in your projects?
How do you manage version control in your projects?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
What techniques do you use to ensure code quality?
What techniques do you use to ensure code quality?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Imagine you are given a project with vague specifications. What steps would you take to clarify requirements?
Imagine you are given a project with vague specifications. What steps would you take to clarify requirements?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
If tasked with improving an existing feature, how would you gather user feedback?
If tasked with improving an existing feature, how would you gather user feedback?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
What would your process be for introducing a new technology to your team?
What would your process be for introducing a new technology to your team?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Describe a challenging technical problem you solved and the impact it had on your project.
Describe a challenging technical problem you solved and the impact it had on your project.
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
How would you approach debugging a critical issue in production?
How would you approach debugging a critical issue in production?
Approach
- Establish what changed and when, before forming any theory.
- Pick a bisection that eliminates candidates whichever way it turns out.
- Check the instrumentation before believing the symptom.
- Separate the trigger from the cause; the deploy is rarely the bug.
Follow-up
- What would you look at first, and what would it rule out?
- How would you tell a cause from a coincidence here?
Built from the rounds and topics Earthcam candidates report.
Prepare, practise & reflect
One practical outcome each day. Spend longer where you need it.
0 / 7 done01Map the Earthcam loop
- Write out the reported sequence: Phone Screening, Technical Assessment, In-Person Interviews.
- For each round, write one sentence on what it is judging, from the description above, and mark the one you are least ready for.
Deliverable: A one-page map of the 3 reported rounds, with the weakest marked.
02Work JavaScript
- Spend the session on JavaScript, which Earthcam candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in JavaScript and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in JavaScript.
03Work Programming Assessments / Coding Tests
- Spend the session on Programming Assessments / Coding Tests, which Earthcam candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Programming Assessments / Coding Tests and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Programming Assessments / Coding Tests.
04Work PHP
- Spend the session on PHP, which Earthcam candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in PHP and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in PHP.
05Answer out loud: Technical / Domain Questions
- Answer aloud, timed: What is your experience with PHP, and can you discuss a project where you utilized it?
- Answer aloud, timed: Describe how you would optimize a web application for performance.
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Technical / Domain Questions question(s), under time.
06Answer out loud: Behavioral / Leadership
- Answer aloud, timed: Describe a time when you had to work under pressure. How did you manage it?
- Answer aloud, timed: Can you provide an example of how you influenced a team decision?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Behavioral / Leadership question(s), under time.
07Answer out loud: Problem-Solving / Case Studies
- Answer aloud, timed: How would you approach debugging a critical issue in production?
- Answer aloud, timed: Imagine you are given a project with vague specifications. What steps would you take to clarify requirements?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Problem-Solving / Case Studies question(s), under time.
Expand any day for tasks and deliverables. Your progress is saved on this device.
Behavioural rounds judge the decision you made and what it cost.
What is your experience with PHP, and can you discuss a project where you utilized it?
What is your experience with PHP, and can you discuss a project where you utilized it?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Describe a time when you had to work under pressure. How did you manage it?
Describe a time when you had to work under pressure. How did you manage it?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Can you provide an example of how you influenced a team decision?
Can you provide an example of how you influenced a team decision?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you prioritize tasks when faced with multiple deadlines?
How do you prioritize tasks when faced with multiple deadlines?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Tell me about a conflict you had with a colleague and how you resolved it.
Tell me about a conflict you had with a colleague and how you resolved it.
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
What motivates you in your work?
What motivates you in your work?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
- 01
What is your experience with PHP, and can you discuss a project where you utilized it?
- 02
Describe a time when you had to work under pressure. How did you manage it?
- 03
Can you provide an example of how you influenced a team decision?
- 04
How do you prioritize tasks when faced with multiple deadlines?
How difficult is the interview process at Earthcam?
The interview process is generally considered average in difficulty. Candidates should prepare for both technical assessments and behavioral questions.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What differentiates successful candidates?
Successful candidates typically exhibit strong technical skills, effective communication, and a good cultural fit within the team. Demonstrating enthusiasm for the role and the company can also set you apart.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the culture and working style like at Earthcam?
The culture at Earthcam emphasizes collaboration and innovation. Employees are encouraged to share ideas and work together to solve problems.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗How long does the interview process typically take?
The typical timeline from initial screen to offer can range from a few weeks to over a month, depending on scheduling and team availability.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Are there opportunities for remote work or flexible hours?
While the primary roles are office-based, Earthcam may offer flexible work arrangements depending on team needs and individual performance.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗How many interview rounds does Earthcam have for a Software Engineer, and what are the stages?
Earthcam’s Software Engineer process typically starts with a Phone Screening, then moves to a Technical Assessment with coding challenges or problem solving tasks. Candidates then do one or more In-Person Interviews with team members and senior engineers to discuss background and technical knowledge. Across reported interviews, difficulty was most commonly rated as average.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What topics does Earthcam test for Software Engineer interviews, especially around front end and backend?
Top tested areas for Earthcam Software Engineer include JavaScript and Front-End Web Development (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript), plus React. The role also commonly tests PHP and general Programming Assessments or Coding Tests. Java also appears in the top topics, so be ready to cover core programming and data structures alongside your primary stack.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What coding and problem-solving questions might I see at Earthcam for Software Engineer interviews?
From the public sample questions, you may be asked “Prioritizing Competing Deadlines” and “Linked List Reversal.” The broader interview prep guidance also indicates coding and algorithms practice, including problems like reversing strings or implementing binary search, and it emphasizes structured debugging and problem-solving approaches.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗How hard are Earthcam Software Engineer interviews, based on candidate-reported difficulty?
Since the process includes both a recruiter screen and technical evaluations, you should prepare both behavioral prioritization and hands-on coding or problem-solving.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the pay range for Earthcam Software Engineer roles, and does it vary?
There is no compensation data provided for Earthcam Software Engineer in the supplied material, so a specific pay range cannot be stated here. If you have a job posting for your target level and location, use it as the source of truth for base and total compensation.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What should I prioritize when preparing for Earthcam Software Engineer interviews?
Focus on role-related technical proficiency in PHP and JavaScript, plus front-end fundamentals like HTML and CSS and frameworks such as React. Then prioritize structured problem solving, including debugging a critical production issue and solving coding tasks, such as those involving linked lists. Finally, practice behavioral questions tied to prioritization and working under pressure, since “Prioritizing Competing Deadlines” is part of the public sample set.
Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Sources & methodology 3 sources ↗
No official company page is cited. Rounds and questions come from candidate reports and PracHub editorial material; each source shows the date it was read.
- 01Earthcam Software Engineer candidate reports ↗
Company-reported rounds, questions and FAQ.
Candidate reports · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 02PracHub Software Engineer practice ↗
PracHub practice material, not company-reported.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 03PracHub preparation framework ↗
PracHub preparation guidance.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22
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