によって details
Examples
by — marks the agent of a passive action
この橋は江戸時代の職人によって建てられた。
kono hashi wa edojidai no shokunin ni yotte taterareta.
This bridge was built by artisans of the Edo period. neutral
新たな規則が委員会によって定められた。
arata na kisoku ga iinkai ni yotte sadamerareta.
New rules were established by the committee. formal
by means of; through — the method or channel something happens through
話し合いによって、ようやく問題が解決した。
hanashiai ni yotte, youyaku mondai ga kaiketsu shita.
The problem was finally resolved through discussion. neutral
depending on — the outcome varies with N, usually with 違う/異なる
味の好みって人によって違うよね。
aji no konomitte hito ni yotte chigau yo ne.
Taste preferences really differ from person to person, huh. casual
保険料は年齢によって異なります。
hokenryou wa nenrei ni yotte kotonarimasu.
Insurance premiums vary depending on age. formal
due to; because of — a formal, often written cause
台風によって、多くの家が被害を受けた。
taifuu ni yotte, ooku no ie ga higai o uketa.
Many houses suffered damage due to the typhoon. neutral
Formation
{N}によってattaches to noun
Notes
Related patterns
Similar
Both can state a cause, but によって needs a NOUN and skews formal/written (事故によって遅延した reads like an announcement), while から takes a full clause, is register-neutral, and is the ordinary spoken choice for the same idea (事故があったから遅れた).
Lookalikes
Both are built on the verb 因[よ]る, but によって marks an agent, means, or cause acting ON something (作家によって書かれた), while によると/によれば frames the clause as reported information, usually with そうだ/とのことだ — it never marks a passive agent.