What is the difference between Factory and Strategy patterns?

Question

Can any one explain the difference between factory and strategy patterns?

For me both are looking same other than an extra factory class (which create an object of

Answer 1

You cannot understand the difference simply by looking at the code or categorization. To grasp the GoF patterns correctly, look for their intents:

Strategy: "Define a family of algorithms, encapsulate each one, and make them interchangeable. Strategy lets the algorithm vary independently from clients that use it."

Factory Method: "Define an interface for creating an object, but let subclasses decide which class to instantiate. Factory Method lets a class defer instantiation to subclasses."

And here's an elaborate explanation about the intents and the differences between these two patterns: Difference between Factory Method and Strategy design patterns