Singleton Pattern vs Factory Pattern

Developers should use the Singleton Pattern when they need to guarantee that only one instance of a class exists throughout the application's lifecycle, such as for managing a shared resource like a cache, thread pool, or settings manager meets developers should learn and use the factory pattern when they need to create objects without specifying the exact class of object that will be created, such as in scenarios involving multiple product types, dynamic object creation based on runtime conditions, or when adding new product types without modifying existing client code. Here's our take.

Singleton Pattern

Nice Pick

Developers should use the Singleton Pattern when they need to guarantee that only one instance of a class exists throughout the application's lifecycle, such as for managing a shared resource like a cache, thread pool, or settings manager

Pros

• It is particularly useful in scenarios where multiple instances could lead to data inconsistency, high memory usage, or performance issues, such as in logging frameworks or global configuration objects
• Related to: design-patterns, object-oriented-programming

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Factory Pattern

Developers should learn and use the Factory Pattern when they need to create objects without specifying the exact class of object that will be created, such as in scenarios involving multiple product types, dynamic object creation based on runtime conditions, or when adding new product types without modifying existing client code

Pros

• It is particularly useful in frameworks, libraries, and applications where object creation logic is complex or likely to change, such as in GUI toolkits, database connection management, or plugin systems
• Related to: design-patterns, object-oriented-programming

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Singleton Pattern if: You want it is particularly useful in scenarios where multiple instances could lead to data inconsistency, high memory usage, or performance issues, such as in logging frameworks or global configuration objects and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Factory Pattern if: You prioritize it is particularly useful in frameworks, libraries, and applications where object creation logic is complex or likely to change, such as in gui toolkits, database connection management, or plugin systems over what Singleton Pattern offers.

The Bottom Line

Singleton Pattern wins

Developers should use the Singleton Pattern when they need to guarantee that only one instance of a class exists throughout the application's lifecycle, such as for managing a shared resource like a cache, thread pool, or settings manager