oop - Static Method of a Static Class vs. Static Method of a Non-Static Class ( C# )

Question

I was asked the above question in an interview. Could you please explain the differences? ( performance - memory - usage - when to use which ? )

Thank you,

Erkan

Answer 1

Declaring a static class documents your intent for that class to be a collection of static functionality, and anyone adding instance members will get a compilation error.

A non-static class with static members usually indicates that the class is designed to be instantiated at some point. Static methods of these classes usually do one of two things:

1. Provide a factory method for creating an instance of that type;
2. Provide helper functionality that does not require an instance of the type;

Also, as mentioned already, extension methods can only be declared on a static class.