Analysis
Compare patterns
Evaluate design patterns side by side across intent, tradeoffs, languages, and integration fit.
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Analysis
Pattern comparison
Reviewing 3 patterns.
| Criteria | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basics | |||
| Category | structural | behavioral | behavioral |
| Summary | Convert the interface of a class or module into another interface clients expect. | — | — |
| Intent | Allow incompatible interfaces to work together without changing the consuming code. | Capture and externalize an object's state so it can be restored to a previous point in time. | Define a subscription mechanism so multiple observers can react to subject events without the subject knowing concrete subscriber details. |
| Decision factors | |||
| Problem | A client needs to talk to a legacy class or external service whose interface does not match the rest of the codebase. | An object's internal state must be saved and restored later without exposing its implementation details. | A system needs to notify multiple dependent objects when state changes occur, but hardcoding those dependencies makes the design rigid and tightly coupled. |
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| Practical fit | |||
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| Integration notes | Adapters are useful when exposing a stable boundary over a legacy API, vendor SDK, or payload format mismatch. | Memento is useful for undo/redo, checkpoints, draft recovery, and any workflow where state history matters. | Observers work well inside a single application boundary for UI events, domain events, and in-process notifications where subscribers change dynamically. |