Strategy and Factory Method solve different problems: Strategy lets a program vary how work is performed; Factory Method lets a creator vary which concrete product it constructs. Choose based on whether the part that changes is behavior or construction. They can coexist when a design needs both kinds of variation.
What changes: behavior or construction?
Start by identifying the variation you need to support. If several interchangeable algorithms perform the same responsibility, consider Strategy. If a creator needs to select a concrete product while its other logic depends only on a product abstraction, consider Factory Method.
| Decision axis | Strategy | Factory Method |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | Vary an algorithm or behavior | Vary the concrete product created |
| Category | Behavioral | Creational |
| Main abstraction | A strategy interface | A product interface and a creator’s factory method |
| Where variation lives | Concrete strategy objects | Concrete creator subclasses overriding a method |
| How the surrounding code uses it | A context delegates work to its selected strategy | A creator uses the abstract product returned by its factory method |
| Typical structural cost | More strategy types and indirection | More creator subclasses and indirection |
How Strategy works
Strategy defines a family of algorithms behind a shared interface. A context keeps a reference to a strategy and delegates the relevant work to it, rather than implementing every variant or choosing among them itself. Refactoring.Guru describes it as a pattern that lets you “define a family of algorithms, put each of them into a separate class, and make their objects interchangeable” (Strategy).
Example: choosing a route
A route-planning context could delegate route calculation to road, walking, or public-transport strategies. The context asks the chosen strategy for a route; each strategy supplies its own way of calculating one. If the design permits it, the client can supply a strategy or switch strategies at runtime.
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When Strategy is a good fit
- A conditional selects among multiple versions of the same behavior.
- Behavior should be replaceable without rewriting the class that uses it.
- Several classes differ mainly in how they perform an algorithm.
Separating variants can isolate algorithm-specific dependencies and reduce duplicated conditional logic. It also means introducing strategy types and indirection. For a small, stable choice, that extra structure may not be worthwhile.
How Factory Method works
Factory Method is a creational pattern. A creator declares a method that returns a shared product abstraction, and subclasses override that method to choose concrete products. The creator’s other work can use the product interface instead of depending on a particular implementation. Refactoring.Guru defines the pattern as an interface for creating objects in a superclass that allows subclasses to change the types created (Factory Method).
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When Factory Method is a good fit
- The concrete product type is not known until a particular creator is selected.
- Construction needs to vary independently from the code that uses the product.
- A framework needs an extension point where clients can provide specialized products.
The pattern can reduce coupling between a creator’s business logic and concrete product classes, while giving subclasses a defined place to customize construction. That flexibility comes with a subclass structure; a single helper for constructing an object does not automatically justify Factory Method.
Is a simple factory the same as Factory Method?
No. “Factory” is used broadly in everyday programming, so a function or static method that creates an object is not necessarily the GoF Factory Method pattern.
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- Creation helper: A function or method wraps construction or provides an alternative constructor. Its name alone does not make it Factory Method.
- Simple Factory: Commonly, one centralized method chooses among product classes, often with a conditional.
- Factory Method: A creator class declares a creation method, and subclasses override it to select the product type.
- Abstract Factory: Focuses on creating families of related or dependent products.
To identify the pattern, ask who owns the creation method, whether subclasses override it, what abstraction it returns, and whether the design creates one product or a related family. For an overview of these distinctions, see Refactoring.Guru’s factory pattern comparison.
Can Strategy and Factory Method be used together?
Yes, if a system genuinely has both kinds of variation. A factory can create a product that uses a strategy to vary its behavior: Factory Method addresses which product is constructed, while Strategy addresses how a responsibility is carried out. Using one does not require the other, and adding both without two distinct needs only adds structure.
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How to decide whether the abstraction is worth it
- Name what changes. If it is an algorithm or behavior, evaluate Strategy. If it is the concrete product created by a creator, evaluate Factory Method.
- Locate the decision. Strategy moves behavior variants behind a strategy interface. Factory Method moves product selection to an overridable method in a creator hierarchy.
- Check how the design will change. Ask whether new variants are likely and whether isolating them would make the surrounding code easier to change.
- Count the structure introduced. Strategy adds strategy types and indirection; Factory Method adds creator subclasses and indirection.
- Use the smallest design that fits. If the variation is minor and stable, a direct implementation or simple creation helper may be clearer than a full pattern.
These patterns describe ways to structure code, not guaranteed performance or productivity improvements. Refactoring.Guru notes that a design pattern is a general concept for solving a particular problem, rather than a specific piece of code (What’s a design pattern?).
Further reading
For more pattern descriptions, Refactoring.Guru maintains a design-pattern catalog and a broader design patterns guide.
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