Why Every Developer Should Learn Design Patterns
Design patterns are not code. They are sets of best practices or guidelines that describe simple and elegant solutions to common problems in software design. These solutions have evolved over time, becoming refined strategies that are not the designs people tend to think of initially.
Think of it this way: developers have been writing code for a long time and have noticed that there are some repeating challenges in software design that they encounter over and over again. They have figured out solutions for those challenges.
Now, four of those developers decided to compile that knowledge into a book so that other developers could use it to address these challenges without reinventing the wheel.
That’s where the concept of design patterns in software came about from the book 'Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software' by the ‘Gang of Four’.
Why Learning Design Patterns Will Make You a Better Developer?
- Enhanced Code Quality: Design patterns make your code more readable and easier to maintain because they provide proven solutions to common problems, developed over years of collective experience.
- Common Language: Knowing these patterns is crucial for speaking the same language as other developers. When someone mentions, 'This is a Singleton,' you'll understand immediately, even without seeing the code. It’s like being part of an exclusive club!
Types of Design Patterns
The book mentioned above has a total of 23 design patterns, classified by their purpose into 3 types:
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Creational Patterns: These focus on the best ways to create objects. Examples include Singleton, which ensures only one instance of a class exists.
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Structural Patterns: These deal with how objects and classes are composed to form larger structures. They help in building efficient, scalable systems. For instance, the Adapter pattern allows incompatible interfaces to work together.
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Behavioral Patterns: These are concerned with effective communication and the assignment of responsibilities between objects. An example is the Observer pattern, which allows an object to notify other objects of its state changes.
| Creational Patterns | Structural Patterns | Behavioral Patterns |
|---|---|---|
| Abstract Factory | Adapter | Chain of Responsibility |
| Builder | Bridge | Command |
| Factory Method | Composite | Interpreter |
| Prototype | Decorator | Iterator |
| Singleton | Facade | Mediator |
| Flyweight | Memento | |
| Proxy | Observer | |
| State | ||
| Strategy | ||
| Template Method | ||
| Visitor |
Choosing the Right Pattern
Understanding the problem at hand and the specifics of your project is crucial when choosing a pattern. Not all patterns are suitable for every situation.
The best advice I can give is to familiarize yourself with the most common patterns, so when you face a challenge, you know which one to use.
So .. now what?
Don’t stress yourself with all the design patterns out there. The best approach is to have a high-level understanding of them to be a better developer overall.