Singleton Pattern 🏯

Definition: The Singleton pattern ensures that a class has only one instance and provides a global point of access to that instance.

🎯 Intent

Ensure a class has only one instance, and provide a global point of access to it. This is useful when exactly one object is needed to coordinate actions across the system.

🤔 Problem

You need to ensure that a class has only one instance because:

Resource Management: Database connections, file systems, or print spoolers
Configuration Settings: Application settings that should be consistent
Logging: Central logging mechanism
Caching: Shared cache across the application
Thread Pools: Managing limited resources

Having multiple instances could cause:

Resource conflicts
Inconsistent behavior
Memory waste
Synchronization issues

💡 Solution

The Singleton pattern solves this by making the class responsible for keeping track of its sole instance. The class ensures that no other instance can be created and provides a way to access the instance.

🏗️ Structure

Singleton
├── -instance: Singleton (static)
├── -constructor() (private)
├── +getInstance(): Singleton (static)
└── +businessLogic()

Client → Singleton.getInstance()

💻 Simple Example

Application Settings

// Basic Singleton - Application Settings
class AppSettings {
  constructor() {
    // Prevent direct instantiation
    if (AppSettings.instance) {
      return AppSettings.instance;
    }

    // Initialize settings
    this.settings = {
      theme: 'light',
      language: 'en',
      apiUrl: 'https://api.example.com',
      timeout: 5000,
      debug: false
    };

    this.version = '1.0.0';
    this.created = new Date();

    // Store instance
    AppSettings.instance = this;

    console.log("⚙️ AppSettings instance created");
  }

  static getInstance() {
    if (!AppSettings.instance) {
      console.log("🏭 Creating new AppSettings instance");
      AppSettings.instance = new AppSettings();
    } else {
      console.log("♻️ Returning existing AppSettings instance");
    }

    return AppSettings.instance;
  }

  getSetting(key) {
    console.log(`🔍 Getting setting: ${key} = ${this.settings[key]}`);
    return this.settings[key];
  }

  setSetting(key, value) {
    const oldValue = this.settings[key];
    this.settings[key] = value;
    console.log(`📝 Setting updated: ${key} = ${value} (was: ${oldValue})`);
  }

  getAllSettings() {
    console.log("📋 Current Settings:");
    Object.entries(this.settings).forEach(([key, value]) => {
      console.log(`   ${key}: ${value}`);
    });
    return { ...this.settings };
  }

  resetToDefaults() {
    console.log("🔄 Resetting to default settings");
    this.settings = {
      theme: 'light',
      language: 'en',
      apiUrl: 'https://api.example.com',
      timeout: 5000,
      debug: false
    };
  }

  getInfo() {
    console.log(`ℹ️ AppSettings Info:`);
    console.log(`   Version: ${this.version}`);
    console.log(`   Created: ${this.created.toLocaleString()}`);
    console.log(`   Instance ID: ${this.constructor.name}@${this.created.getTime()}`);
  }
}

// Usage
console.log("=== Application Settings Singleton Demo ===\n");

console.log("Getting instances from different parts of the app:");
console.log("-".repeat(50));

// Simulate different modules accessing settings
console.log("1. Main App Module:");
const mainAppSettings = AppSettings.getInstance();
mainAppSettings.setSetting('theme', 'dark');
mainAppSettings.setSetting('debug', true);

console.log("\n2. User Interface Module:");
const uiSettings = AppSettings.getInstance();
console.log(`UI Theme: ${uiSettings.getSetting('theme')}`);

console.log("\n3. API Module:");
const apiSettings = AppSettings.getInstance();
console.log(`API URL: ${apiSettings.getSetting('apiUrl')}`);
apiSettings.setSetting('timeout', 10000);

console.log("\n4. Logger Module:");
const loggerSettings = AppSettings.getInstance();
console.log(`Debug Mode: ${loggerSettings.getSetting('debug')}`);

console.log("\nVerifying all instances are the same:");
console.log("-".repeat(35));
console.log(`mainAppSettings === uiSettings: ${mainAppSettings === uiSettings}`);
console.log(`uiSettings === apiSettings: ${uiSettings === apiSettings}`);
console.log(`apiSettings === loggerSettings: ${apiSettings === loggerSettings}`);

console.log("\nFinal settings state:");
console.log("-".repeat(20));
mainAppSettings.getAllSettings();
mainAppSettings.getInfo();

🌟 Real-World Example

Database Connection Manager

// Database Connection Singleton
class DatabaseManager {
  constructor() {
    if (DatabaseManager.instance) {
      return DatabaseManager.instance;
    }

    this.connections = new Map();
    this.connectionCount = 0;
    this.maxConnections = 10;
    this.activeQueries = 0;
    this.totalQueries = 0;
    this.created = new Date();

    // Initialize default connection
    this.initializeConnection('default', {
      host: 'localhost',
      port: 5432,
      database: 'myapp',
      username: 'admin',
      password: '****'
    });

    DatabaseManager.instance = this;
    console.log("🗃️ DatabaseManager singleton created");
  }

  static getInstance() {
    if (!DatabaseManager.instance) {
      console.log("🏭 Creating new DatabaseManager instance");
      DatabaseManager.instance = new DatabaseManager();
    } else {
      console.log("♻️ Returning existing DatabaseManager instance");
    }

    return DatabaseManager.instance;
  }

  initializeConnection(name, config) {
    if (this.connections.has(name)) {
      console.log(`⚠️ Connection '${name}' already exists`);
      return false;
    }

    if (this.connectionCount >= this.maxConnections) {
      console.log(`❌ Maximum connections reached (${this.maxConnections})`);
      return false;
    }

    const connection = {
      name,
      config: { ...config, password: '****' }, // Hide password in logs
      connected: false,
      lastUsed: null,
      queryCount: 0,
      id: ++this.connectionCount
    };

    this.connections.set(name, connection);
    console.log(`✅ Connection '${name}' initialized (ID: ${connection.id})`);
    return true;
  }

  connect(connectionName = 'default') {
    const connection = this.connections.get(connectionName);

    if (!connection) {
      console.log(`❌ Connection '${connectionName}' not found`);
      return false;
    }

    if (connection.connected) {
      console.log(`ℹ️ Connection '${connectionName}' already connected`);
      return true;
    }

    // Simulate connection establishment
    console.log(`🔗 Connecting to database: ${connection.config.host}:${connection.config.port}/${connection.config.database}`);
    connection.connected = true;
    connection.lastUsed = new Date();

    console.log(`✅ Connected to '${connectionName}'`);
    return true;
  }

  query(sql, connectionName = 'default') {
    const connection = this.connections.get(connectionName);

    if (!connection) {
      console.log(`❌ Connection '${connectionName}' not found`);
      return null;
    }

    if (!connection.connected) {
      console.log(`🔗 Auto-connecting to '${connectionName}'`);
      if (!this.connect(connectionName)) {
        return null;
      }
    }

    // Simulate query execution
    this.activeQueries++;
    this.totalQueries++;
    connection.queryCount++;
    connection.lastUsed = new Date();

    console.log(`📊 Executing query on '${connectionName}': ${sql}`);
    console.log(`   Active queries: ${this.activeQueries}`);

    // Simulate query completion
    setTimeout(() => {
      this.activeQueries--;
    }, 100);

    return {
      connection: connectionName,
      query: sql,
      result: `Result for: ${sql}`,
      timestamp: new Date()
    };
  }

  disconnect(connectionName = 'default') {
    const connection = this.connections.get(connectionName);

    if (!connection) {
      console.log(`❌ Connection '${connectionName}' not found`);
      return false;
    }

    if (!connection.connected) {
      console.log(`ℹ️ Connection '${connectionName}' already disconnected`);
      return true;
    }

    connection.connected = false;
    console.log(`🔒 Disconnected from '${connectionName}'`);
    return true;
  }

  getConnectionInfo(connectionName = 'default') {
    const connection = this.connections.get(connectionName);

    if (!connection) {
      console.log(`❌ Connection '${connectionName}' not found`);
      return null;
    }

    console.log(`📋 Connection Info [${connectionName}]:`);
    console.log(`   ID: ${connection.id}`);
    console.log(`   Status: ${connection.connected ? 'Connected' : 'Disconnected'}`);
    console.log(`   Host: ${connection.config.host}:${connection.config.port}`);
    console.log(`   Database: ${connection.config.database}`);
    console.log(`   Queries: ${connection.queryCount}`);
    console.log(`   Last Used: ${connection.lastUsed ? connection.lastUsed.toLocaleString() : 'Never'}`);

    return connection;
  }

  getStats() {
    console.log(`📊 DatabaseManager Statistics:`);
    console.log(`   Total Connections: ${this.connections.size}/${this.maxConnections}`);
    console.log(`   Active Queries: ${this.activeQueries}`);
    console.log(`   Total Queries: ${this.totalQueries}`);
    console.log(`   Created: ${this.created.toLocaleString()}`);

    const connectionStats = {};
    this.connections.forEach((conn, name) => {
      connectionStats[name] = {
        connected: conn.connected,
        queries: conn.queryCount
      };
    });

    console.log(`   Connection Status:`, connectionStats);
    return connectionStats;
  }

  closeAllConnections() {
    console.log("🔒 Closing all database connections");
    let closedCount = 0;

    this.connections.forEach((connection, name) => {
      if (connection.connected) {
        this.disconnect(name);
        closedCount++;
      }
    });

    console.log(`✅ Closed ${closedCount} connections`);
  }
}

// Usage
console.log("\n=== Database Manager Singleton Demo ===\n");

console.log("Different modules accessing database:");
console.log("-".repeat(35));

// Module 1: User Service
console.log("1. User Service Module:");
const userServiceDB = DatabaseManager.getInstance();
userServiceDB.initializeConnection('users', {
  host: 'user-db.company.com',
  port: 5432,
  database: 'users',
  username: 'user_service'
});

userServiceDB.query("SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = true", 'users');

console.log("\n2. Product Service Module:");
const productServiceDB = DatabaseManager.getInstance();
productServiceDB.query("SELECT * FROM products WHERE in_stock = true");

console.log("\n3. Order Service Module:");
const orderServiceDB = DatabaseManager.getInstance();
orderServiceDB.initializeConnection('orders', {
  host: 'order-db.company.com',
  port: 5433,
  database: 'orders',
  username: 'order_service'
});

orderServiceDB.query("SELECT * FROM orders WHERE status = 'pending'", 'orders');

console.log("\nVerifying singleton behavior:");
console.log("-".repeat(30));
console.log(`userServiceDB === productServiceDB: ${userServiceDB === productServiceDB}`);
console.log(`productServiceDB === orderServiceDB: ${productServiceDB === orderServiceDB}`);

console.log("\nDatabase statistics:");
console.log("-".repeat(20));
userServiceDB.getStats();

console.log("\nConnection details:");
console.log("-".repeat(18));
userServiceDB.getConnectionInfo('default');
console.log();
userServiceDB.getConnectionInfo('users');
console.log();
userServiceDB.getConnectionInfo('orders');

console.log("\nShutdown:");
console.log("-".repeat(9));
userServiceDB.closeAllConnections();

🔧 Another Simple Example

Logger Singleton

// Logger Singleton with different log levels
class Logger {
  constructor() {
    if (Logger.instance) {
      return Logger.instance;
    }

    this.logs = [];
    this.level = 'info'; // debug, info, warn, error
    this.maxLogs = 1000;
    this.created = new Date();
    this.logCount = 0;

    Logger.instance = this;
    console.log("📝 Logger singleton created");
  }

  static getInstance() {
    if (!Logger.instance) {
      Logger.instance = new Logger();
    }
    return Logger.instance;
  }

  setLevel(level) {
    const levels = ['debug', 'info', 'warn', 'error'];
    if (!levels.includes(level)) {
      this.error(`Invalid log level: ${level}`);
      return;
    }

    const oldLevel = this.level;
    this.level = level;
    this.info(`Log level changed from ${oldLevel} to ${level}`);
  }

  shouldLog(level) {
    const levels = { debug: 0, info: 1, warn: 2, error: 3 };
    return levels[level] >= levels[this.level];
  }

  log(level, message, category = 'GENERAL') {
    if (!this.shouldLog(level)) {
      return;
    }

    const logEntry = {
      id: ++this.logCount,
      timestamp: new Date(),
      level: level.toUpperCase(),
      category,
      message
    };

    this.logs.push(logEntry);

    // Keep only recent logs
    if (this.logs.length > this.maxLogs) {
      this.logs = this.logs.slice(-this.maxLogs);
    }

    // Output to console with formatting
    const emoji = { debug: '🐛', info: 'ℹ️', warn: '⚠️', error: '❌' };
    const timestamp = logEntry.timestamp.toLocaleTimeString();
    console.log(`${emoji[level]} [${timestamp}] ${category}: ${message}`);
  }

  debug(message, category) {
    this.log('debug', message, category);
  }

  info(message, category) {
    this.log('info', message, category);
  }

  warn(message, category) {
    this.log('warn', message, category);
  }

  error(message, category) {
    this.log('error', message, category);
  }

  getStats() {
    const stats = { debug: 0, info: 0, warn: 0, error: 0 };
    this.logs.forEach(log => {
      stats[log.level.toLowerCase()]++;
    });

    console.log("📊 Logger Statistics:");
    console.log(`   Total Logs: ${this.logCount}`);
    console.log(`   Current Level: ${this.level}`);
    console.log(`   Debug: ${stats.debug}`);
    console.log(`   Info: ${stats.info}`);
    console.log(`   Warn: ${stats.warn}`);
    console.log(`   Error: ${stats.error}`);
    console.log(`   Created: ${this.created.toLocaleString()}`);

    return stats;
  }

  getRecentLogs(count = 10) {
    const recent = this.logs.slice(-count);
    console.log(`📋 Recent ${count} logs:`);
    recent.forEach(log => {
      console.log(`   ${log.id}: [${log.level}] ${log.category} - ${log.message}`);
    });
    return recent;
  }

  clearLogs() {
    const count = this.logs.length;
    this.logs = [];
    console.log(`🗑️ Cleared ${count} logs`);
  }
}

// Usage
console.log("\n=== Logger Singleton Demo ===\n");

console.log("Different modules using logger:");
console.log("-".repeat(30));

// Module 1
console.log("1. Authentication Module:");
const authLogger = Logger.getInstance();
authLogger.info("User login attempt", "AUTH");
authLogger.warn("Invalid password attempt", "AUTH");
authLogger.info("User successfully logged in", "AUTH");

console.log("\n2. Database Module:");
const dbLogger = Logger.getInstance();
dbLogger.debug("Connection pool initialized", "DATABASE");
dbLogger.info("Query executed successfully", "DATABASE");
dbLogger.error("Connection timeout", "DATABASE");

console.log("\n3. API Module:");
const apiLogger = Logger.getInstance();
apiLogger.info("API server started on port 3000", "API");
apiLogger.warn("Rate limit approaching for user 123", "API");

console.log("\nVerifying singleton:");
console.log("-".repeat(18));
console.log(`authLogger === dbLogger: ${authLogger === dbLogger}`);
console.log(`dbLogger === apiLogger: ${dbLogger === apiLogger}`);

console.log("\nChanging log level:");
console.log("-".repeat(18));
authLogger.setLevel('warn');

console.log("\nTesting with new level (debug should be filtered):");
authLogger.debug("This debug message won't show", "TEST");
authLogger.warn("This warning will show", "TEST");

console.log("\nLogger statistics:");
console.log("-".repeat(18));
authLogger.getStats();

console.log();
authLogger.getRecentLogs(5);

✅ Pros

Controlled Access: Guarantees only one instance exists
Global Access: Provides a global point of access
Lazy Initialization: Instance created only when needed
Memory Efficient: Saves memory by avoiding multiple instances
Consistency: Ensures consistent state across the application

❌ Cons

Global State: Can make testing and debugging difficult
Hidden Dependencies: Makes dependencies less explicit
Concurrency Issues: Can cause problems in multi-threaded environments
Tight Coupling: Can create tight coupling between components
Difficult to Mock: Hard to replace with mock objects for testing

🎯 When to Use

Resource Management: Database connections, file handles, thread pools
Configuration: Application settings that should be consistent
Logging: Central logging mechanism
Caching: Shared cache across the application
Hardware Access: Printer spoolers, device drivers
Coordinated Access: When you need to coordinate actions across the system

🔄 Implementation Variations

1. Eager Initialization

class EagerSingleton {
  static instance = new EagerSingleton();

  constructor() {
    if (EagerSingleton.instance) {
      return EagerSingleton.instance;
    }
  }

  static getInstance() {
    return EagerSingleton.instance;
  }
}

2. Lazy Initialization (shown in examples above)

static getInstance() {
  if (!MySingleton.instance) {
    MySingleton.instance = new MySingleton();
  }
  return MySingleton.instance;
}

3. Thread-Safe (for Node.js with worker threads)

const singletonInstances = new Map();

class ThreadSafeSingleton {
  constructor() {
    const className = this.constructor.name;
    if (singletonInstances.has(className)) {
      return singletonInstances.get(className);
    }
    singletonInstances.set(className, this);
  }
}

⚠️ Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Using Singleton for everything: Not every class needs to be a singleton
Making everything global: Reduces testability and maintainability
Ignoring dependency injection: Singleton can hide dependencies
Not considering alternatives: Sometimes simple module patterns work better

Factory Method: Can use Singleton to ensure only one factory exists
Abstract Factory: Factory instances are often singletons
Builder: Director object might be a singleton
Prototype: Prototype registry can be implemented as singleton
Facade: Facade objects are often implemented as singletons

🎯 Intent​

🤔 Problem​

💡 Solution​

🏗️ Structure​

💻 Simple Example​

Application Settings​

🌟 Real-World Example​

Database Connection Manager​

🔧 Another Simple Example​

Logger Singleton​

✅ Pros​

❌ Cons​

🎯 When to Use​

🔄 Implementation Variations​

1. Eager Initialization​

2. Lazy Initialization (shown in examples above)​

3. Thread-Safe (for Node.js with worker threads)​

⚠️ Anti-Patterns to Avoid​

🔗 Related Patterns​

📚 Further Reading​