What is the difference between constructor overloading and factory methods?

What is the difference between constructor overloading and factory methods?

Constructor overloading allows a class to have multiple constructors with different parameters, while factory methods are static methods that return instances of a class, often used to encapsulate the instantiation logic.

Can you give me an example of constructor overloading?

Sure! In Java, you might have a class Book with two constructors: one that takes a title and author, and another that takes just a title, setting a default author.

And how does a factory method work?

A factory method in a class might look like public static Book createBook(String title), which creates a new Book instance and can include logic to determine which type of Book to create.

When should I use factory methods instead of constructor overloading?

Use factory methods when you need more control over the instantiation process, such as returning different subclasses or managing shared resources.