What is the Chain of Responsibility Pattern?
Updated Apr 28, 2026
Short answer
A behavioral pattern that lets you pass requests along a chain of handlers.
Deep explanation
Upon receiving a request, each handler decides either to process the request or to pass it to the next handler in the chain. It decouples the sender of a request from its receiver.
Real-world example
Middleware in web frameworks (like Express.js or ASP.NET). A request passes through logging, authentication, and validation middlewares.
Common mistakes
- Building a chain where a request can fall off the end unhandled without any fallback or error mechanism.
Follow-up questions
- Does every handler process the request?