Instantiation relationships

In UML diagrams, an instantiation relationship is a type of usage dependency between classifiers that indicates that the operations in one classifier create instances of the other classifier.

A dependency signifies that a single model element or set of elements requires other model elements for their specification or implementation. This relationship means that the definition of the client model elements is either semantically or structurally dependent on the definition of the supplier model element. A change to the supplier model might impact the dependent client model element. In an instantiation relationship, the client model element is instantiated by the supplier element and is therefore dependent on it.

As the following figure illustrates, an instantiation relationship is displayed in the diagram editor as a dashed line with an open arrow that points from the classifier that performs the operation to the classifier that is being instantiated. The keyword «instantiate» is attached to the connector.