When should you prefer proxies and when should you avoid it?

Proxies are useful design patterns in software development that act as intermediaries for another entity. Here are some scenarios when you might prefer to use proxies and situations where you might want to avoid them:

When to Prefer Proxies

  • Lazy Initialization: Use proxies when you want to delay the creation of expensive objects until they are needed. This helps improve performance.
  • Access Control: Proxies can be used to control access to certain functionalities or resources, allowing you to implement security measures effectively.
  • Monitoring and Logging: They can facilitate monitoring actions or logging information without modifying the original object's code.
  • Remote Object Access: Proxies are often used in remote procedure calls (RPC) to allow local representation of a remote service, simplifying communication.

When to Avoid Proxies

  • Complexity: If introducing a proxy adds unnecessary complexity to your codebase, it might be better to avoid it.
  • Performance Overhead: If the proxy adds significant latency or overhead, particularly in high-performance applications, it should be reconsidered.
  • Overhead in Maintenance: The additional classes and layers may lead to more maintenance and could make code less understandable.

keywords: proxies lazy initialization access control monitoring logging RPC