Analysis

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Analysis

Pattern comparison

Reviewing 3 patterns.

Criteria
structuralAdapterView pattern
behavioralChain of ResponsibilityView pattern
behavioralIteratorView pattern
Basics
Categorystructuralbehavioralbehavioral
SummaryConvert the interface of a class or module into another interface clients expect.Pass a request through a sequence of handlers until one handles it or the chain ends.—
IntentAllow incompatible interfaces to work together without changing the consuming code.Pass requests along a chain of handlers until one of them handles the request or the request reaches the end of the chain.Provide a way to access elements of an aggregate sequentially while hiding the underlying representation.
Decision factors
ProblemA client needs to talk to a legacy class or external service whose interface does not match the rest of the codebase.A request must pass through multiple possible handlers, but the sender should not need to know which handler will process it.A collection needs to be traversed without exposing how it is stored internally.
Tradeoffs
  • Adds an extra layer of indirection.
  • Can hide useful vendor-specific capabilities if overused.
  • Keeps integration code isolated from core domain logic.
  • Requests can become harder to trace because control flows through multiple handlers.
  • A long chain may add overhead if many handlers are checked on every request.
  • It keeps handler logic isolated and easier to extend.
  • Can add extra classes and abstraction for simple collections
  • May be unnecessary when built-in language iteration is already enough
Practical fit
Languages
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • go
  • csharp
  • dotnet
  • react
  • angular
  • react-native
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
Platforms
  • applications
  • apis
  • service layers
  • integrations
  • frontend
  • backend
  • integration
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Mobile
  • UI kits
  • Cross-platform systems
Integration notesAdapters are useful when exposing a stable boundary over a legacy API, vendor SDK, or payload format mismatch.Chain of Responsibility is useful for validation pipelines, support routing, approval flows, and any system where requests may be processed by different handlers in sequence.Iterator is useful for pagination, custom collections, ordered traversal, and any case where clients should not know the internal data structure.