unity-pattern-proxy

name	unity-pattern-proxy
description	Proxy
category	unity
source	unity-design-patterns-skills
source_path	patterns/proxy/SKILL.md

Proxy

Purpose

Stand in for another object and control when or how the real object is reached.

Use When

• Creation should be lazy or deferred.
• Access needs permissions, caching, or remoting behavior.
• Callers should still use the same contract.

Avoid When

• You only need a simplified API, not controlled access semantics.
• The main issue is interface translation rather than access control.

Unity Implementation Recipe

1. Keep the subject interface stable.
2. Choose the proxy role: lazy, protection, remote, or cache.
3. Make latency and failure behavior explicit.
4. Test caller expectations against both proxy and real subject.

Common Pitfalls

• Hiding slow remote or load behavior behind an instant-looking API.
• Drifting semantics between proxy and real subject.

Minimal Unity Sketch

public sealed class LazyAudioBank : IAudioBank
{
    private AudioBank? _loaded;
    public AudioClip Get(string id)
    {
        _loaded ??= Resources.Load<AudioBank>("AudioBank");
        return _loaded.Get(id);
    }
}

Response Shape

• Say whether Proxy is actually the right fit.
• Map it to concrete Unity types, ownership, and lifecycle.
• Prefer a production-shaped skeleton over a long tutorial dump.
• Call out the simpler alternative if this pattern would be overengineering.