Visualizing Thread-Safe Singletons in Java

Working in Java, we seldom have to create our handwritten singletons, for the existing frameworks like Spring creates these objects for us and maintains them. In enterprise applications, we get into framework disposal and let them create the singletons.

But it is interesting to know the singleton pattern and visualize the famous pattern in a multi-threaded environment. In this article, I will dive deep into this pattern with a multi-threaded environment view.

Why Classical Singleton Is an Antipattern: How To Make It Great Again Using IOC

Classical Singleton Introduction

Classical Singleton is one of the most well-known structural patterns. It is widely used in production and is responsible for creating only one single instance. This pattern was mentioned in the GOF patterns book. How is it possible that it became an antipattern? Before we start, let's remember what a classical Singleton looks like.  

Classical Singleton Implementation

Classical implementation of Singleton assumes that class contains two things:

Singleton Design Pattern

Design patterns are important as they help us solve general problems with software that people face during development. These patterns help us make code maintainable, extensible, and loosely coupled. One such design pattern is the Singleton Design pattern.

In simple terms, Singleton is a class that allows us only to create a single instance of it. It makes it impossible for us to instantiate the class for the second time.

The Singleton Design Pattern

The Singleton Pattern

The singleton pattern is one of the simplest design patterns in Java. This design pattern is considered a creational pattern, as this pattern provides one of the best ways to create an object.

Sometimes it’s important for some classes to have exactly one instance. There are many times when we only need one instance of an object and if we instantiate more than one we’ll run into all sorts of problems, like incorrect program behavior, overuse of resources, or inconsistent results. You may require only one object of a class, for example, when you are creating:

Design Patterns in Java: Singleton

A design pattern is defined as the re-usable form of a solution to a design problem. With a design pattern, you can document a solution to a design problem. Design patterns were introduced by the architect Christopher Alexander and have been adapted for various other disciplines and are very popular among developers, as they provide solutions to general problems that software developers face. It provides a template to solve common problems while designing a system or an application.

Design patterns act as a common language between developers so that each developer easily understands the concept while working with common problems.