API / Apache FreeMarker Interview questions

What is the difference between FreeMarker and Thymeleaf?

The clearest difference is philosophical: Thymeleaf templates are written as valid HTML files using custom th:* attributes, so the raw, unprocessed file still renders sensibly in a browser or design tool - Thymeleaf calls this "natural templating." FreeMarker templates use their own tag syntax (<#if>, ${...}) mixed directly into the text, which is not valid HTML on its own and requires processing to preview correctly.

Aspect	FreeMarker	Thymeleaf
Template validity before processing	Not valid HTML by itself	Remains valid HTML (natural templating)
Output scope	Any text format - HTML, e-mail, code, config	Primarily HTML/XML
Typical ecosystem fit	General text generation, some Spring apps	Spring Boot's more commonly recommended web view engine

Teams generating only HTML web views, especially in Spring Boot, often lean toward Thymeleaf for the designer-friendly workflow; teams needing non-HTML output or a stricter expression language often prefer FreeMarker.

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What does Thymeleaf's "natural templating" mean?The raw template file remains valid, viewable HTML even before processing

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Thymeleaf templates cannot contain any dynamic content

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Thymeleaf templates must be written in plain text with no HTML tags

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Thymeleaf requires no server-side processing at all

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Which engine's output is not limited primarily to HTML/XML?Neither can produce HTML at all

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Thymeleaf

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Both are limited strictly to HTML

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FreeMarker

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What is the purpose of interpolation (${...}) in FreeMarker? List the comparison operators supported in FreeMarker? What are the main use cases of FreeMarker? What are the types in FreeMarker's data model? How do you use the #assign directive? Describe the built-ins available in FreeMarker? How do you access static Java members (static methods, fields, and enum constants) from a FreeMarker template? What is Apache FreeMarker? What is the purpose of the FreeMarker Configuration object? What is the difference between FreeMarker's #switch/#case and a chain of #if/#elseif directives? What is the purpose of the <#if> directive? What are the types of loops available in FreeMarker? What is the difference between #assign and #local? How do you apply default values for missing variables in FreeMarker? Why doesn't FreeMarker allow templates unrestricted access to Java reflection and side-effecting method calls? What is the purpose of the incompatible_improvements setting? Define directive in FreeMarker? Which is generally the better choice for a new project today, FreeMarker or Velocity, and why? What is a FreeMarker template? What is the purpose of the #include directive?

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