Analysis

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Analysis

Pattern comparison

Reviewing 3 patterns.

Criteria
behavioralObserverView pattern
creationalSingletonView pattern
behavioralStateView pattern
Basics
Categorybehavioralcreationalbehavioral
Summary———
IntentDefine a subscription mechanism so multiple observers can react to subject events without the subject knowing concrete subscriber details.Ensure a class has only one instance and provide a global access point to it.Allow an object to alter its behavior when its internal state changes by delegating state-specific behavior to separate state objects.
Decision factors
ProblemA system needs to notify multiple dependent objects when state changes occur, but hardcoding those dependencies makes the design rigid and tightly coupled.A system needs exactly one shared instance of a class, and that instance must be globally accessible without allowing uncontrolled duplication.An object behaves differently depending on its internal state, and conditional logic is becoming hard to manage.
Tradeoffs
  • Notification flows can become hard to trace when many observers react to the same event
  • Observers may receive updates they do not need unless subscriptions are carefully designed
  • Can make dependencies harder to test if the singleton is used everywhere
  • May introduce hidden global state that complicates debugging and concurrency
  • Can introduce many small classes if the state graph is large
  • State transitions may become harder to trace if spread across multiple classes
Practical fit
Languages
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
  • typescript
  • java
  • python
  • angular
  • react
  • react-native
  • csharp
  • dotnet
Platforms
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Event-driven systems
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Mobile
  • UI kits
  • Cross-platform systems
  • Web
  • Backend
  • Mobile
  • UI kits
  • Cross-platform systems
Integration notesObservers work well inside a single application boundary for UI events, domain events, and in-process notifications where subscribers change dynamically.Singleton is useful for centralized services like configuration, logging, caching, and shared application state.State is useful for workflows, media players, order lifecycles, and any domain where behavior changes as the object moves through a lifecycle.