UML aggregation vs association

Question

Here I am, with another question about aggregation and association. I wanted to learn some basics of UML, so I started reading \"UML distilled\" by Martin Fowler. I read bot

Answer 1

Rumbaugh's statement is the most telling and Uncle Bob's good advice. As I've said elsewhere, Aggregation is semantically so weak as to offer nothing practically beneficial. It only has one valid corner case (acyclicity of recursive relationships) however few people know and understand that. So you end up having to point out in comments anyway.

I just don't use it. And have never felt any loss. Stick with simple binary associations and focus on what really matters - getting the cardinality and naming right. You'll get far more from that than trying to decide the undecidable association vs. aggregation.

hth.