Decorator Pattern

Kind: pattern

Layer: Design Patterns Core

Record: architecture:decorator-pattern

Severity: contextual

Scope: behavior composition

Canonical: Ontology

A design pattern that adds behavior to an object by wrapping it in another object with the same interface.

Listed in Architecture principles, after Bridge Pattern and before Composite Pattern.

Requires

• Common Interface

Reinforces

• Open/Closed Principle (OCP)
• Composability

Enables

• Runtime Behavior Extension

Conflicts with

• Subclass Explosion

In tension with

• Stack Debugging

Tensions

• Decorator Pattern / Stack Debugging

Violated by

• Subclass Explosion

Severity

• contextual

Category

• Structural Patterns

Enabled by

• Composition Over Inheritance

Linked from

• Core Modular Design
• SOLID / Object-Oriented Design
• Behavioral Patterns
• Structural Patterns
• Severity levels
• The resolutions