How do I implement the factory pattern in web servers with C++?

The Factory Pattern is a creational design pattern used in software development, particularly in web servers, to create objects without having to specify the exact class of the object that will be created. This pattern is especially useful when you want to handle a family of related or dependent objects that need to be created in a flexible way. Here's how you can implement the Factory Pattern in a web server application using C++.

// Abstract Product
class RequestHandler {
public:
    virtual void handleRequest() = 0;
};

// Concrete Product - Home Request Handler
class HomeRequestHandler : public RequestHandler {
public:
    void handleRequest() override {
        std::cout << "Handling home request." << std::endl;
    }
};

// Concrete Product - About Request Handler
class AboutRequestHandler : public RequestHandler {
public:
    void handleRequest() override {
        std::cout << "Handling about request." << std::endl;
    }
};

// Creator
class RequestHandlerFactory {
public:
    static RequestHandler* createHandler(const std::string& type) {
        if (type == "home") {
            return new HomeRequestHandler();
        } else if (type == "about") {
            return new AboutRequestHandler();
        } else {
            return nullptr;
        }
    }
};

// Usage
int main() {
    RequestHandler* handler = RequestHandlerFactory::createHandler("home");
    if (handler) {
        handler->handleRequest();
        delete handler;
    }

    return 0;
}