Singleton

This is a UML class diagram example for the Singleton design pattern.

Purpose

Ensures that only one instance of a class is allowed within a system.

Use When

• Exactly one instance of a class is required.
• Controlled access to a single object is necessary.

Example

Most languages provide some sort of system or environment object that allows the language to interact with the native operating system. Since the application is physically running on only one operating system there is only ever a need for a single instance of this system object. The singleton pattern would be implemented by the language runtime to ensure that only a single copy of the system object is created and to ensure only appropriate processes are allowed access to it.