How can you optimize the bridge design pattern's performance?

2 Use lazy initialization

One of the potential drawbacks of the bridge design pattern is that it can create more objects than necessary, especially if you have many combinations of abstractions and implementations. For example, if you have 10 shapes and 3 platforms, you might end up creating 30 objects, even if you only need a few of them at a time. To avoid this, you can use lazy initialization, which means creating the objects only when they are needed, and caching them for future use. For example, you can have a factory method that takes a shape type and a platform type as parameters, and returns a shape object with the appropriate implementation object. The factory method can check if the object already exists in a cache, and if not, create it and store it in the cache. This way, you can reduce the memory consumption and the object creation overhead.

3 Use flyweight pattern

Another way to optimize the bridge design pattern's performance is to use the flyweight pattern, which is a structural pattern that reduces the number of objects by sharing common state among them. The flyweight pattern involves creating a flyweight class that stores the intrinsic state of an entity, which is independent of the context and can be shared by multiple objects, and a separate context class that stores the extrinsic state of an entity, which depends on the situation and cannot be shared. The flyweight class can have a factory method that returns a flyweight object with the desired intrinsic state, and caches the existing objects to avoid duplication. The context class can have a reference to a flyweight object, and pass the extrinsic state to it when invoking its methods. For example, if you are designing a text editor application, you might have a Character class that stores the intrinsic state of a character, such as its font and color, and a separate CharacterContext class that stores the extrinsic state of a character, such as its position and size. The Character class can have a factory method that returns a Character object with the desired font and color, and caches the existing objects to avoid duplication. The CharacterContext class can have a reference to a Character object, and pass the position and size to it when drawing it on the screen. This way, you can reduce the number of objects and the memory consumption.

4 Use proxy pattern

A final tip to optimize the bridge design pattern's performance is to use the proxy pattern, which is a structural pattern that provides a surrogate or placeholder for another object, controlling access to it. The proxy pattern involves creating a proxy class that implements the same interface as the real object, and has a reference to it. The proxy class can perform additional tasks before or after delegating the request to the real object, such as caching, logging, validation, or security. For example, if you are designing a web service application, you might have a Service class that implements the ServiceInterface, and provides the actual functionality of the service. You might also have a ServiceProxy class that implements the ServiceInterface, and has a reference to a Service object. The ServiceProxy class can perform tasks such as checking the authorization of the client, caching the results of the service, or logging the requests and responses. This way, you can improve the performance and security of the service.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?