What is the difference between the Adapter Pattern and the Factory Pattern?

What is the difference between the Adapter Pattern and the Factory Pattern?

The Adapter Pattern allows incompatible interfaces to work together, while the Factory Pattern creates objects without specifying the exact class.

Can you give me an example of the Adapter Pattern?

Sure! Imagine you have a legacy system that uses a specific interface, and you want to integrate a new system with a different interface. The Adapter Pattern allows you to create an adapter that translates calls from the legacy system to the new system.

And how does the Factory Pattern work?

The Factory Pattern provides a way to create objects without specifying the exact class of the object that will be created. For example, a ShapeFactory can create different shapes like Circle or Square based on input parameters.

When should I use one pattern over the other?

Use the Adapter Pattern when you need to integrate incompatible interfaces, and the Factory Pattern when you want to manage object creation without coupling your code to specific classes.