静态工厂方法模式是封装对象创建的一种方式。如果没有工厂方法，只需直接调用类的构造函数:Foo x = new Foo()。使用这种模式，你可以调用工厂方法:Foo x = Foo.create()。构造函数被标记为private，因此只能从类内部调用它们，而工厂方法被标记为静态，因此可以在没有对象的情况下调用它。

这种模式有几个优点。一个是工厂可以从许多子类(或接口的实现者)中选择并返回。通过这种方式，调用者可以通过参数指定所需的行为，而不必知道或理解潜在的复杂类层次结构。

Another advantage is, as Matthew and James have pointed out, controlling access to a limited resource such as connections. This a way to implement pools of reusable objects - instead of building, using, and tearing down an object, if the construction and destruction are expensive processes it might make more sense to build them once and recycle them. The factory method can return an existing, unused instantiated object if it has one, or construct one if the object count is below some lower threshold, or throw an exception or return null if it's above the upper threshold.

根据维基百科上的文章，多个工厂方法还允许对相似的参数类型进行不同的解释。通常构造函数与类具有相同的名称，这意味着具有给定签名的构造函数只能有一个。工厂没有那么多限制，这意味着你可以有两个不同的方法接受相同的参数类型:

Coordinate c = Coordinate.createFromCartesian(double x, double y)

and

Coordinate c = Coordinate.createFromPolar(double distance, double angle)

Rasmus指出，这也可以用来提高可读性。

One of the advantages of the static factory methods with private constructor(object creation must have been restricted for external classes to ensure instances are not created externally) is that you can create instance-controlled classes. And instance-controlled classes guarantee that no two equal distinct instances exist(a.equals(b) if and only if a==b) during your program is running that means you can check equality of objects with == operator instead of equals method, according to Effective java.

The ability of static factory methods to return the same object from repeated invocations allows classes to maintain strict control over what instances exist at any time. Classes that do this are said to be instance-controlled. There are several reasons to write instance-controlled classes. Instance control allows a class to guarantee that it is a singleton (Item 3) or noninstantiable (Item 4). Also, it allows an immutable class (Item 15) to make the guarantee that no two equal instances exist: a.equals(b) if and only if a==b. If a class makes this guarantee, then its clients can use the == operator instead of the equals(Object) method, which may result in improved performance. Enum types (Item 30) provide this guarantee.

摘自Effective Java, Joshua Bloch(第1项，第6页)

这一切都归结为可维护性。最好的方式是，无论何时使用new关键字创建对象，都是将所编写的代码耦合到实现中。

The factory pattern lets you separate how you create an object from what you do with the object. When you create all of your objects using constructors, you are essentially hard-wiring the code that uses the object to that implementation. The code that uses your object is "dependent on" that object. This may not seem like a big deal on the surface, but when the object changes (think of changing the signature of the constructor, or subclassing the object) you have to go back and rewire things everywhere.

如今，由于依赖注入需要大量的样板代码，而这些代码本身维护起来有点困难，工厂在很大程度上被忽略了。依赖注入基本上等同于工厂，但允许你以声明的方式(通过配置或注释)指定你的对象如何连接在一起。

我们避免提供对数据库连接的直接访问，因为它们是资源密集型的。因此，我们使用一个静态工厂方法getDbConnection，它在低于限制时创建一个连接。否则，它将尝试提供一个“备用”连接，如果没有则会出现异常而失败。

public class DbConnection{
   private static final int MAX_CONNS = 100;
   private static int totalConnections = 0;

   private static Set<DbConnection> availableConnections = new HashSet<DbConnection>();

   private DbConnection(){
     // ...
     totalConnections++;
   }

   public static DbConnection getDbConnection(){

     if(totalConnections < MAX_CONNS){
       return new DbConnection();

     }else if(availableConnections.size() > 0){
         DbConnection dbc = availableConnections.iterator().next();
         availableConnections.remove(dbc);
         return dbc;

     }else {
         throw new NoDbConnections();
     }
   }

   public static void returnDbConnection(DbConnection dbc){
     availableConnections.add(dbc);
     //...
   }
}

如果类的构造函数是私有的，那么就不能从类的外部为类创建对象。

class Test{
 int x, y;
 private Test(){
  .......
  .......
  }
}

我们不能从上面的类的外部创建一个对象。所以你不能从类外访问x y。那么这门课有什么用呢? 下面是答案:FACTORY方法。 在上面的类中添加下面的方法

public static Test getObject(){
  return new Test();
}

现在你可以在这个类的外部创建一个对象。就像……

Test t = Test.getObject();

因此，通过执行类的私有构造函数返回类对象的静态方法称为FACTORY方法。

静态工厂方法模式是封装对象创建的一种方式。如果没有工厂方法，只需直接调用类的构造函数:Foo x = new Foo()。使用这种模式，你可以调用工厂方法:Foo x = Foo.create()。构造函数被标记为private，因此只能从类内部调用它们，而工厂方法被标记为静态，因此可以在没有对象的情况下调用它。

这种模式有几个优点。一个是工厂可以从许多子类(或接口的实现者)中选择并返回。通过这种方式，调用者可以通过参数指定所需的行为，而不必知道或理解潜在的复杂类层次结构。

Another advantage is, as Matthew and James have pointed out, controlling access to a limited resource such as connections. This a way to implement pools of reusable objects - instead of building, using, and tearing down an object, if the construction and destruction are expensive processes it might make more sense to build them once and recycle them. The factory method can return an existing, unused instantiated object if it has one, or construct one if the object count is below some lower threshold, or throw an exception or return null if it's above the upper threshold.

根据维基百科上的文章，多个工厂方法还允许对相似的参数类型进行不同的解释。通常构造函数与类具有相同的名称，这意味着具有给定签名的构造函数只能有一个。工厂没有那么多限制，这意味着你可以有两个不同的方法接受相同的参数类型:

Coordinate c = Coordinate.createFromCartesian(double x, double y)

and

Coordinate c = Coordinate.createFromPolar(double distance, double angle)

Rasmus指出，这也可以用来提高可读性。