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 | behavioral | behavioral | behavioral |
| Summary | Pass a request through a sequence of handlers until one handles it or the chain ends. | — | — |
| Intent | Pass requests along a chain of handlers until one of them handles the request or the request reaches the end of the chain. | Define an object that encapsulates communication between a set of objects, keeping them from referring to each other directly. | Encapsulate a family of algorithms or behaviors behind a common contract so they can be selected and swapped cleanly. |
| Decision factors | |||
| Problem | A request must pass through multiple possible handlers, but the sender should not need to know which handler will process it. | Multiple objects need to coordinate behavior, but direct references between them create tight coupling and complex dependencies. | A system needs to switch between interchangeable behaviors without hardcoding branching logic everywhere. |
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| Integration notes | 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. | Mediator is useful for chat systems, form coordination, workflow orchestration, and any domain where many components must collaborate without knowing about each other. | Strategies can cross codebases through shared contracts, API selection rules, or runtime configuration. |