Class vs Factory function: exploring the way forward
By: Cristian Salcescu
Tags: Tech, JavaScript, Programming, Technology, Web Development

ECMAScript 2015 (aka ES6) comes with the class syntax, so now we have two competing patterns for creating objects. In order to compare them, I’ll create the same object definition (TodoModel) as a class, and then as a factory function.

TodoModel as a Class

class TodoModel {

constructor(){

this.todos = [];

this.lastChange = null;

}



addToPrivateList(){

console.log("addToPrivateList");

}

add() { console.log("add"); }

reload(){}

}

TodoModel as a Factory Function

function TodoModel(){

var todos = [];

var lastChange = null;



function addToPrivateList(){

console.log("addToPrivateList");

}

function add() { console.log("add"); }

function reload(){}



return Object.freeze({

add,

reload

});

}

Encapsulation

The first thing we notice is that all members, fields, and methods of a class object are public.

var todoModel = new TodoModel();

console.log(todoModel.todos); //[]

console.log(todoModel.lastChange) //null

todoModel.addToPrivateList(); //addToPrivateList

The lack of encapsulation may create security problems. Take the example of a global object that can be modified directly from the Developer Console.

When using factory function, only the methods we expose are public, everything else is encapsulated.

var todoModel = TodoModel();

console.log(todoModel.todos); //undefined

console.log(todoModel.lastChange) //undefined

todoModel.addToPrivateList(); //taskModel.addToPrivateList

is not a function

this

this losing context problems are still there when using class. For example, this is losing context in nested functions. It is not only annoying during coding, but it’s also a constant source of bugs.

class TodoModel {

constructor(){

this.todos = [];

}



reload(){

setTimeout(function log() {

console.log(this.todos); //undefined

}, 0);

}

} todoModel.reload(); //undefined

or this is losing context when the method is used as a callback, like on a DOM event.

$("#btn").click(todoModel.reload); //undefined

There are no such problems when using a factory function, as it doesn’t use this at all.

function TodoModel(){

var todos = [];



function reload(){

setTimeout(function log() {

console.log(todos); //[]

}, 0);

}

} todoModel.reload(); //[]

$("#btn").click(todoModel.reload); //[]

this and arrow function

The arrow function partially solves the this loosing context issues in classes, but at the same time creates a new problem:

this is no longer loosing context in nested functions

is no longer loosing context in nested functions this is loosing context when the method is used as a callback

is loosing context when the method is used as a callback arrow function promotes the use of anonymous functions

I refactored the TodoModel using the arrow function. It’s important to note that in the process of refactoring to the arrow function we can loose something very important for readability, the function name. Look for example at:

//using function name to express intent

setTimeout(function renderTodosForReview() {

/* code */

}, 0); //versus using an anonymous function

setTimeout(() => {

/* code */

}, 0);

Immutable API

Once the object is created, I’m expecting its API to be immutable. I can easily change the implementation of a public method to do something else when it was created using a class.

todoModel.reload = function() { console.log("a new reload"); }

todoModel.reload(); //a new reload

This problem can be solved by calling Object.freeze(TodoModel.prototype) after the class definition.

The API of the object created using a factory function is immutable. Notice the use of Object.freeze() on the returned object containing only the public methods. The private data of the object can be modified, but only through these public methods.

todoModel.reload = function() { console.log("a new reload"); }

todoModel.reload(); //reload

new

new should be used when creating objects using classes.

new is not required when creating objects with factory functions, but if that makes it more readable, you can go for it, there is no harm.

var todoModel= new TodoModel();

Using new with a factory function will just return the object created by the factory.

Composition over inheritance

Classes support both inheritance and composition.

Below is an example of inheritance where SpecialService class inherits from Service class:

class Service {

doSomething(){ console.log("doSomething"); }

} class SpecialService extends Service {

doSomethingElse(){ console.log("doSomethingElse"); }

} var specialService = new SpecialService();

specialService.doSomething();

specialService.doSomethingElse();

Here is another example where SpecialService reuses member of Service using composition:

class Service {

doSomething(){ console.log("doSomething"); }

} class SpecialService{

constructor(args){

this.service = args.service;

} doSomething() { this.service.doSomething(); }



doSomethingElse(){ console.log("doSomethingElse"); }

} var specialService = new SpecialService({

service : new Service()

});

specialService.doSomething();

specialService.doSomethingElse();

Factory functions promote composition over inheritance. Take a look at the next example where SpecialService reuses members of Service :

function Service() {

function doSomething(){ console.log("doSomething"); } return Object.freeze({

doSomething

});

} function SpecialService(args){

var service = args.service; function doSomethingElse(){ console.log("doSomethingElse"); } return Object.freeze({

doSomething : service.doSomething,

doSomethingElse

});

} var specialService = SpecialService({

service : Service()

});

specialService.doSomething();

specialService.doSomethingElse();

Memory

Classes are better at memory conservation, as they are implemented over the prototype system. All methods will be created only once in the prototype object and shared by all instances.

The memory cost of the factory function is noticeable when creating thousands of the same object.

Here is the page used for testing the memory cost when using factory function.

The memory cost (in Chrome)

+-----------+------------+------------+

| Instances | 10 methods | 20 methods |

+-----------+---------------+---------+

| 10 | 0 | 0 |

| 100 | 0.1Mb | 0.1Mb |

| 1000 | 0.7Mb | 1.4Mb |

| 10000 | 7.3Mb | 14.2Mb |

+-----------+------------+------------+

Objects vs Data Structures

Before analyzing the memory cost any further, a distinction should be made between two kinds of objects:

OOP Objects

Data Objects (aka Data Structures)

Objects expose behavior and hide data. Data Structures expose data and have no significant behavior. — Robert Martin “Clean Code”

I’ll take a look again at the TodoModel example and explain these two kinds of objects.

function TodoModel(){

var todos = [];



function add() { }

function reload(){ }



return Object.freeze({

add,

reload

});

}

TodoModel is responsible for storing and managing the list of todos . TodoModel is the OOP Object, the one exposing behavior and hiding data. There will be only one instance of it in the application, so there’s no extra memory cost when using the factory function.

is responsible for storing and managing the list of . is the OOP Object, the one exposing behavior and hiding data. There will be only one instance of it in the application, so there’s no extra memory cost when using the factory function. The todos objects represent the Data Structures. There may be a lot of these objects, but they are just plain JavaScript objects. We are not interested in keeping their methods private — rather we actually want to expose all their data and methods. So all these objects will be built over the prototype system, and they will benefit from the memory conservation. They can be built using a simple object literal or Object.create() .

UI Components

In the application, there may be hundreds or thousands of instances of a UI component. This is a situation where we need to make a trade-off between encapsulation and memory conservation.

Components will be built according to the component framework practice. For example, object literals will be used for Vue, or classes for React. Each component’s members will be public, but they will benefit from the memory conservation of the prototype system.

Conclusion

The strong points of class are its familiarity for people coming from a class-based background and its nicer syntax over the prototype system. However, its security problems and the usage of this , a continuous source of losing context bugs, makes it a second option. As an exception, classes will be used if required by the component’s framework, as in the case of React.

Factory function is not only the better option for creating secured, encapsulated, and flexible OOP Objects but also opens the door for a new, unique to JavaScript, programming paradigm.