What are the advantages of using the Factory pattern?

Short answer: Encapsulates object creation: Decouples client code from concrete classes. Promotes code reuse: Centralizes object creation logic. Enhances maintainability: Adding new types requires minimal changes to existing code. Supports polymorphism: Clients work with interfaces or base classes rather than concrete types. Improves testability: Can easily mock or swap factory implementations.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest payment fees use Strategy: IFeeCalculator with UPI/Card implementations chosen at runtime.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.