a design pattern that restricts the instantiation of a class to a single object

Key Characteristics of a Singleton:

  • One Instance:┬аOnly one object of the class can be created throughout the applicationтАЩs lifetime.┬а
  • Controlled Access:┬аA specific method (often┬аgetInstance()) is used to retrieve the single instance, preventing direct instantiation.┬а
  • Global Point of Access:┬аThe singleton instance is accessible from anywhere in the application.

Other facts

  • Cannot be extended by other class
  • Singleton can extend other class
  • Cannot have a constructor