Design Pattern

Definitions

1. A design pattern is a reusable, named solution to a commonly recurring problem in software design. Patterns are not finished code but rather templates that describe how to structure classes, objects, and their interactions to solve a specific type of problem. The seminal 1994 book by the Gang of Four (GoF) cataloged 23 patterns across three categories: creational (Singleton, Factory, Builder), structural (Adapter, Decorator, Proxy), and behavioral (Observer, Strategy, Command). Design patterns give teams a shared vocabulary for discussing architecture decisions. When a developer says 'use a Strategy here,' the entire team understands the shape of the solution. Patterns should be applied when they genuinely fit the problem, since overusing them adds unnecessary complexity.

   In plain English: Design Pattern is a practical idea developers use to keep software understandable, easier to change, and more reliable as the codebase gets larger.

   Example: "We used Design Pattern in this code path so the behavior stays consistent across the project, new contributors can follow the intent quickly, and the team can change implementation details without turning routine maintenance into a risky rewrite."

Related Terms

• Component Architecture
• Component Composition
• Composite Pattern
• Composition
• Composition Root
• CPU Architecture
• Design Document
• Document Object Model
• Domain Model
• Elm Architecture
• Facade Pattern
• Flux Architecture
• Integration Pattern