Questions
10 of 24
What is the Strategy Pattern? How does it replace complex conditional logic?
Difficulty: 3/10
Strategy Pattern
The Strategy Pattern encapsulates interchangeable algorithms behind a common interface and allows the algorithm to be selected independently of the client. It is particularly effective when a method contains a growing if/else or switch statement representing different business rules. Instead of repeatedly modifying the client, I introduce a strategy per behavior and inject or select the required strategy.
javascript
- 1
Encapsulates algorithms behind a common abstraction.
- 2
Removes growing conditional logic from the context class.
- 3
Strategies can be tested independently.
- 4
New strategies can often be added without changing existing client logic.
- 5
Use it when behavior genuinely varies; avoid it for trivial one-off conditions.
Follow-up Questions
- How does Strategy support OCP?
- Strategy vs State pattern?
- How can strategies be selected dynamically?
- When is a switch statement better than Strategy?