简短的回答:

由于JavaScript的非阻塞特性，JavaScript中的单例在使用时非常难看。全局变量将在整个应用程序中为您提供一个实例，而不需要所有这些回调，模块模式将内部隐藏在接口后面。参见Christian C. Salvadó的回答。

但是，既然你想要一个单胞胎……

var singleton = function(initializer) {

  var state = 'initial';
  var instance;
  var queue = [];

  var instanceReady = function(createdInstance) {
    state = 'ready';
    instance = createdInstance;
    while (callback = queue.shift()) {
      callback(instance);
    }
  };

  return function(callback) {
    if (state === 'initial') {
      state = 'waiting';
      queue.push(callback);
      initializer(instanceReady);
    } else if (state === 'waiting') {
      queue.push(callback);
    } else {
      callback(instance);
    }
  };

};

用法:

var singletonInitializer = function(instanceReady) {
  var preparedObject = {property: 'value'};
  // Calling instanceReady notifies the singleton that the instance is ready to use
  instanceReady(preparedObject);
}
var s = singleton(singletonInitializer);

// Get the instance and use it
s(function(instance) {
  instance.doSomething();
});

解释:

单例在整个应用程序中提供了不止一个实例:它们的初始化延迟到第一次使用。当您处理初始化开销很大的对象时，这确实是一个大问题。昂贵通常意味着I/O，在JavaScript中I/O总是意味着回调。

不要相信那些给出instance = singleton.getInstance()这样接口的答案，它们都没有抓住重点。

如果它们没有在实例就绪时运行回调，那么当初始化器执行I/O时，它们将不起作用。

是的，回调看起来总是比函数调用更丑，函数调用会立即返回一个对象实例。但是同样:当你执行I/O时，回调是必须的。如果你不想做任何I/O，那么在程序启动时实例化就足够便宜了。

例1，简单的初始化器:

var simpleInitializer = function(instanceReady) {
  console.log("Initializer started");
  instanceReady({property: "initial value"});
}

var simple = singleton(simpleInitializer);

console.log("Tests started. Singleton instance should not be initalized yet.");

simple(function(inst) {
  console.log("Access 1");
  console.log("Current property value: " + inst.property);
  console.log("Let's reassign this property");
  inst.property = "new value";
});
simple(function(inst) {
  console.log("Access 2");
  console.log("Current property value: " + inst.property);
});

例2，初始化I/O:

在这个例子中，setTimeout模拟了一些昂贵的I/O操作。这说明了为什么JavaScript中的单例真的需要回调。

var heavyInitializer = function(instanceReady) {
  console.log("Initializer started");
  var onTimeout = function() {
    console.log("Initializer did his heavy work");
    instanceReady({property: "initial value"});
  };
  setTimeout(onTimeout, 500);
};

var heavy = singleton(heavyInitializer);

console.log("In this example we will be trying");
console.log("to access singleton twice before it finishes initialization.");

heavy(function(inst) {
  console.log("Access 1");
  console.log("Current property value: " + inst.property);
  console.log("Let's reassign this property");
  inst.property = "new value";
});

heavy(function(inst) {
  console.log("Access 2. You can see callbacks order is preserved.");
  console.log("Current property value: " + inst.property);
});

console.log("We made it to the end of the file. Instance is not ready yet.");

我不确定我是否同意用模块模式来代替单例模式。我经常看到单例对象在完全没有必要的地方被使用和滥用，我确信模块模式填补了程序员使用单例对象的许多空白。然而，模块模式不是单例的。

模块模式:

var foo = (function () {
    "use strict";
    function aPrivateFunction() {}
    return { aPublicFunction: function () {...}, ... };
}());

在模块模式中初始化的所有内容都在声明Foo时发生。此外，模块模式可用于初始化构造函数，然后可以多次实例化构造函数。虽然模块模式是许多工作的正确工具，但它并不等同于单例模式。

单例模式:

简式

var Foo = function () {
    "use strict";
    if (Foo._instance) {
        // This allows the constructor to be called multiple times
        // and refer to the same instance. Another option is to
        // throw an error.
        return Foo._instance;
    }
    Foo._instance = this;
    // Foo initialization code
};
Foo.getInstance = function () {
    "use strict";
    return Foo._instance || new Foo();
}

长格式，使用模块模式

var Foo = (function () {
    "use strict";
    var instance; //prevent modification of "instance" variable
    function Singleton() {
        if (instance) {
            return instance;
        }
        instance = this;
        //Singleton initialization code
    }
    // Instance accessor
    Singleton.getInstance = function () {
        return instance || new Singleton();
    }
    return Singleton;
}());

在我提供的两个版本的单例模式中，构造函数本身都可以用作访问器:

var a,
    b;
a = new Foo(); // Constructor initialization happens here
b = new Foo();
console.log(a === b); //true

如果你不习惯这样使用构造函数，你可以在If (instance)语句中抛出一个错误，并坚持使用长形式:

var a,
    b;
a = Foo.getInstance(); // Constructor initialization happens here
b = Foo.getInstance();
console.log(a === b); // true

我还应该提到，单例模式很适合隐式构造函数模式:

function Foo() {
    if (Foo._instance) {
        return Foo._instance;
    }
    // If the function wasn't called as a constructor,
    // call it as a constructor and return the result
    if (!(this instanceof Foo)) {
        return new Foo();
    }
    Foo._instance = this;
}
var f = new Foo(); // Calls Foo as a constructor
-or-
var f = Foo(); // Also calls Foo as a constructor

我从JavaScript模式中得到了这个例子 用编码和设计模式构建更好的应用程序一书(Stoyan Stefanov著)。如果你需要一些简单的实现类，比如单例对象，你可以使用一个直接函数，如下所示:

var ClassName;

(function() {
    var instance;
    ClassName = function ClassName() {
        // If the private instance variable is already initialized, return a reference
        if(instance) {
            return instance;
        }
        // If the instance is not created, save a pointer of the original reference
        // to the private instance variable.
        instance = this;

        // All constructor initialization will be here
        // i.e.:
        this.someProperty = 0;
        this.someMethod = function() {
            // Some action here
        };
    };
}());

你可以通过下面的测试用例来检查这个例子:

// Extending defined class like singleton object using the new prototype property
ClassName.prototype.nothing = true;
var obj_1 = new ClassName();

// Extending the defined class like a singleton object using the new prototype property
ClassName.prototype.everything = true;
var obj_2 = new ClassName();

// Testing makes these two objects point to the same instance
console.log(obj_1 === obj_2); // Result is true, and it points to the same instance object

// All prototype properties work
// no matter when they were defined
console.log(obj_1.nothing && obj_1.everything
            && obj_2.nothing && obj_2.everything); // Result true

// Values of properties which are defined inside of the constructor
console.log(obj_1.someProperty); // Outputs 0
console.log(obj_2.someProperty); // Outputs 0

// Changing property value
obj_1.someProperty = 1;

console.log(obj_1.someProperty); // Output 1
console.log(obj_2.someProperty); // Output 1

console.log(obj_1.constructor === ClassName); // Output true

这种方法通过了所有测试用例，而当使用原型扩展时，私有静态实现将失败(它可以被修复，但并不简单)，而公共静态实现则不太可取，因为实例是公开给公众的。

jsFiddly demo.

我认为我已经找到了用JavaScript编程的最简洁的方法，但您需要一些想象力。我是从《JavaScript: the Good Parts》一书中的一个工作技巧中得到这个想法的。

不用new关键字，你可以这样创建一个类:

function Class()
{
    var obj = {}; // Could also be used for inheritance if you don't start with an empty object.

    var privateVar;
    obj.publicVar;

    obj.publicMethod = publicMethod;
    function publicMethod(){}

    function privateMethod(){}

    return obj;
}

你可以这样实例化上面的对象:

var objInst = Class(); // !!! NO NEW KEYWORD

现在有了这个工作方法，你可以创建一个像这样的单例:

ClassSingleton = function()
{
    var instance = null;

    function Class() // This is the class like the above one
    {
        var obj = {};
        return obj;
    }

    function getInstance()
    {
        if( !instance )
            instance = Class(); // Again no 'new' keyword;

        return instance;
    }

    return { getInstance : getInstance };
}();

现在可以通过调用来获取实例

var obj = ClassSingleton.getInstance();

我认为这是最简洁的方法，因为完整的“类”甚至无法访问。

2015年ECMAScript (ES6):

class Singleton {
  constructor () {
    if (!Singleton.instance) {
      Singleton.instance = this
    }
    // Initialize object
    return Singleton.instance
  }
  // Properties & Methods
}

const instance = new Singleton()
Object.freeze(instance)

export default instance

let MySingleton = (function () {
  var _instance
  function init() {
    if(!_instance) {
      _instance = { $knew: 1 }
    }
    return _instance
  }
  let publicAPIs = {
    getInstance: function() {
      return init()
    }
  }
  // this prevents customize the MySingleton, like MySingleton.x = 1
  Object.freeze(publicAPIs) 
  // this prevents customize the MySingleton.getInstance(), like MySingleton.getInstance().x = 1
  Object.freeze(publicAPIs.getInstance())
  return publicAPIs
})();