Article by Ayman Alheraki on January 22 2026 03:35 PM
For many years, asking “What is the best design pattern?” was a valid and reasonable question in object-oriented programming, especially in C++. Classic design patterns (GoF) were once essential tools that compensated for real limitations in the language.
However, with the evolution of Modern C++ (from C++11 through C++23), the rules have fundamentally changed. The language itself has evolved, and with it, the role and relevance of many design patterns. Some patterns have effectively disappeared, others have transformed, and a few remain—but with a much more limited and precise purpose.
This article explains why there is no single “best” design pattern in Modern C++, what has replaced that way of thinking, and what the correct modern design mindset should be.
Classic design patterns emerged because programming languages—including early C++—lacked:
Clear and safe ownership and lifetime management
Flexible mechanisms for passing behavior
Powerful compile-time abstraction tools
Built-in resource management models
Expressive ways to encode policies and variation
Design patterns were therefore compensatory solutions, not ultimate goals.
Modern C++ did not introduce cosmetic features; it fundamentally redefined design philosophy through:
RAII as a first-class ownership model
Value semantics instead of pervasive pointers
Move semantics
Lambdas and function objects
Templates and concepts
constexpr and if constexpr
std::variant and type-safe unions
The result is clear:
The language itself now embodies many design patterns.
The correct question is no longer:
What is the best design pattern?
But instead:
Do I need a pattern at all, or is a language feature sufficient?
In Modern C++, language features always come before patterns.
If one concept truly represents the heart of Modern C++ design, it is without question:
RAII is not merely a pattern; it is a design philosophy:
It binds resources to object lifetime
It prevents leaks and misuse
It makes code correct by construction
It eliminates manual resource management
Memory, files, locks, sockets, threads— all are managed safely and deterministically through RAII.
Without mastering RAII, there is no real Modern C++.
Values, copying, moving, and explicit ownership replaced many classic patterns such as:
Factory
Builder
Prototype
Policy-based design, templates, and concepts replaced:
Strategy (in most cases)
Template Method
Many patterns collapsed into a single expression:
Command
Visitor (partially)
Observer (in many applications)
Some patterns did not disappear, but they are no longer defaults:
Strategy — when runtime variability is truly required
Observer — in complex event-driven systems
Decorator — when implemented via composition, not inheritance
Facade — to define clean architectural boundaries
Adapter — for integrating legacy systems
The rule is simple:
Use a pattern only when the problem demands it—not because a book lists it.
In Modern C++, the following frequently raise red flags:
Singleton
Overengineered Abstract Factories
Base classes without strong justification
“Virtual everywhere”
Default heap allocation
They are not always wrong—but they are guilty until proven necessary.
RAII and lifetime management
Value semantics
Composition over inheritance
Compile-time polymorphism
Explicit ownership
Runtime polymorphism only when unavoidable
Notice:
Most of this hierarchy consists of language principles, not GoF patterns.
There is no “best” design pattern in Modern C++
The best design is one that uses the language, not patterns
Design patterns today are specialized tools, not defaults
Every unjustified pattern introduces cost and complexity
Simplicity, clarity, and correctness outweigh any pattern choice
Modern C++ does not reward those who know patterns— it rewards those who know when not to use them.