Analysis
Compare patterns
Evaluate design patterns side by side across intent, tradeoffs, languages, and integration fit.
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Analysis
Pattern comparison
Reviewing 2 patterns.
| Criteria | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basics | ||
| Category | behavioral | behavioral |
| Summary | — | — |
| Intent | Provide a way to access elements of an aggregate sequentially while hiding the underlying representation. | Encapsulate a family of algorithms or behaviors behind a common contract so they can be selected and swapped cleanly. |
| Decision factors | ||
| Problem | A collection needs to be traversed without exposing how it is stored internally. | A system needs to switch between interchangeable behaviors without hardcoding branching logic everywhere. |
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| Practical fit | ||
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| Integration notes | Iterator is useful for pagination, custom collections, ordered traversal, and any case where clients should not know the internal data structure. | Strategies can cross codebases through shared contracts, API selection rules, or runtime configuration. |