The 23 Gang of Four Design Patterns ..

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The Gang of Four (GoF)(from Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software,
Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series, by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson,
and John Vlissides).
These 23 GoF patterns are generally considered the foundation for all other patterns. They are
categorized in three groups: Creational, Structural, and Behavioral.
Creational Patterns

1. Abstract Factory: Creates an instance of several families of classes. Provide an interface for
creating families of related or dependent objects without specifying their concrete classes.
2. Builder: Separates object construction from its representation. Separate the construction of a
complex object from its representation so that the same construction processes can create
different representations.
3. Factory Method: Creates an instance of several derived classes. Define an interface for
creating an object, but let subclasses decide which class to instantiate. Factory Method lets a
class defer instantiation to subclasses.
4. Prototype: A fully initialized instance to be copied or cloned. Specify the kinds of objects to
create using a prototypical instance, and create new objects by copying this prototype.
5. Singleton: A class of which only a single instance can exist. Ensure a class only has one
instance, and provide a global point of access to it.

Structural Patterns

1. Adapter: Match interfaces of different classes.Convert the interface of a class into another
interface clients expect. Adapter lets classes work together that couldn’t otherwise because of
incompatible interfaces.
2. Bridge: Separates an object’s interface from its implementation. Decouple an abstraction from
its implementation so that the two can vary independently.
3. Composite: A tree structure of simple and composite objects. Compose objects into tree
structures to represent part-whole hierarchies. Composite lets clients treat individual objects and
compositions of objects uniformly.
4. Decorator: Add responsibilities to objects dynamically. Attach additional responsibilities to an
object dynamically. Decorators provide a flexible alternative to subclassing for extending
functionality.
5. Facade: A single class that represents an entire subsystem. Provide a unified interface to a set
of interfaces in a system. Facade defines a higher-level interface that makes the subsystem
easier to use.
6. Flyweight: A fine-grained instance used for efficient sharing. Use sharing to support large
numbers of fine-grained objects efficiently. A flyweight is a shared object that can be used in
multiple contexts simultaneously. The flyweight acts as an independent object in each context —
it’s indistinguishable from an instance of the object that’s not shared.
7. Proxy: An object representing another object. Provide a surrogate or placeholder for another
object to control access to it.

Behavioral Patterns

1. Chain of Resp. : A way of passing a request between a chain of objects. Avoid coupling the
sender of a request to its receiver by giving more than one object a chance to handle the
request. Chain the receiving objects and pass the request along the chain until an object
handles it.
2. Command: Encapsulate a command request as an object. Encapsulate a request as an object,
thereby letting you parameterize clients with different requests, queue or log requests, and
support undoable operations.
3. Interpreter: A way to include language elements in a program. Given a language, define a
representation for its grammar along with an interpreter that uses the representation to interpret
sentences in the language.
4. Iterator: Sequentially access the elements of a collection. Provide a way to access the elements
of an aggregate object sequentially without exposing its underlying representation.
5. Mediator: Defines simplified communication between classes. Define an object that
encapsulates how a set of objects interact. Mediator promotes loose coupling by keeping objects
from referring to each other explicitly, and it lets you vary their interaction independently.
6. Memento: Capture and restore an object's internal state. Without violating encapsulation,
capture and externalize an object’s internal state so that the object can be restored to this state
later.
7. Observer: A way of notifying change to a number of classes. Define a one-to-many dependency
between objects so that when one object changes state, all its dependents are notified and
updated automatically.
8. State: Alter an object's behavior when its state changes. Allow an object to alter its behavior
when its internal state changes. The object will appear to change its class.
9. Strategy: Encapsulates an algorithm inside a class. Define a family of algorithms, encapsulate
each one, and make them interchangeable. Strategy lets the algorithm vary
independently from clients that use it.
10. Template: Defer the exact steps of an algorithm to a subclass. Define the skeleton of an
algorithm in an operation, deferring some steps to subclasses. Template Method lets subclasses
redefine certain steps of an algorithm without changing the algorithm’s structure.
11. Visitor: Defines a new operation to a class without change. Represent an operation to be
performed on the elements of an object structure. Visitor lets you define a new operation without
changing the classes of the elements on which it operates.
 The 23 Gang of Four Design Patterns (Cheat Sheet)

1. Strategy:
Defines a family of algorithms, encapsulates each one, and make them interchangeable. Strategy lets the algorithm
vary independently from clients who use it.

2. Decorator:
Attach additional responsibilities to an object dynamically. Decorators provide a flexible alternative to subclassing
for extending functionality.

3. Factory Method
Define an interface for creating an object, but let the subclasses decide which class to instantiate. Factory Method
lets a class defer instantiation to subclasses.

4. Observer
Define a one-to-many dependency between objects so that when one object changes state, all its dependents are
notified and updated automatically.

5. Chain of Responsibility
Avoid coupling the sender of a request to its receiver by giving more then one object a chance to handle the
request. Chain the receiving objects and pass the request along the chain until an object handles it.

6. Singleton
Ensure a class only has one instance, and provide a global point of access to it.

7. Flyweight
Use sharing to support large numbers of fine-grained objects efficiently. A flyweight is a shared object that can be
used in multiple contexts simultaneously. The flyweight acts as an independent object in each context; it’s
indistinguishable from an instance of the object that’s not shared.

8. Adapter
Convert the interface of a class into another interface clients expect. Adapter lets classes work together that
couldn’t otherwise because of incompatibility interfaces.

9. Façade
Provide a unified interface to a set of interfaces in a system. Façade defines a higher-level interface that makes the
subsystem easier to use.

10. Template
Define a skeleton of an algorithm in an operation, deferring some steps to subclasses. Template Method lets
subclasses redefine certain steps of an algorithm without changing the algorithms structure.

11. Builder
Separate the construction of a complex object from its representation so that the same construction processes can
create different representations.

12. Iterator
Provide a way to access the elements of an aggregate object sequentially without exposing its underlying
representation.
13. Composite
Compose objects into tree structures to represent part-whole hierarchies. Composite lets clients treat individual
objects and compositions of objects uniformly.
14. Command
Encapsulate a request as an object, thereby letting you parameterize clients with different requests, queue or log
requests, and support undoable operations.

15. Mediator
Define an object that encapsulates how a set of objects interact. Mediator promotes loose coupling by keeping
objects from referring to each other explicitly, and lets you vary their interaction independently.

16. State
Allow an object to alter its behavior when its internal state changes. The object will appear to change its class.

17. Proxy
Provide a surrogate or placeholder for another object to control access to it.

18. Abstract Factory

19. Bridge
Decouple an abstraction from its implementation so that the two can vary independently.

20. Interpreter
Given a language, define a representation for its grammar along with an interpreter that uses the representation
to interpret sentences in the language.

21. Memento
Without violating encapsulation, capture and externalize an object’s internal state so that the object can be
restored to this state later.

22. Prototype
Specify the kinds of objects to create using a prototypical instance, and create new objects by copying this
prototype.

23. Visitor
Represent an operation to be performed on the elements of an object structure. Visitor lets you define a new
operation without changing the classes of the elements on which it operates.