Go (Golang) - Patterns and Guidance

Use this skill when writing, reviewing, or debugging Go code. Covers idiomatic Go patterns, project structure, concurrency, testing, and production-ready practices.

When to Use

• Writing new Go packages, services, or CLI tools
• Reviewing or refactoring existing Go code for idiomatic style
• Debugging Go concurrency, error handling, or performance issues
• Setting up Go project structure, module layout, or test harness

Go Philosophy

Core principles:

• Simplicity over cleverness
• Explicit over implicit
• Composition over inheritance
• Clear is better than clever
• Errors are values
• Concurrency is not parallelism

Key idioms:

• "Don't communicate by sharing memory; share memory by communicating"
• "A little copying is better than a little dependency"
• "The bigger the interface, the weaker the abstraction"
• "Make the zero value useful"
• "Accept interfaces, return structs"

Project Structure

Standard Layout

myproject/
├── cmd/                    # Main applications
│   ├── api/
│   │   └── main.go        # API server entry point
│   └── worker/
│       └── main.go        # Background worker entry point
├── internal/              # Private application code
│   ├── app/              # Application logic
│   ├── domain/           # Domain models
│   └── platform/         # Platform-specific code
├── pkg/                   # Public libraries (reusable)
│   ├── auth/
│   └── logger/
├── api/                   # API definitions (OpenAPI, protobuf)
├── web/                   # Web assets (templates, static files)
├── scripts/               # Build, install, analysis scripts
├── configs/               # Configuration files
├── deployments/           # Deployment configs (docker, k8s)
├── test/                  # Additional test data
├── docs/                  # Documentation
├── examples/              # Example code
├── tools/                 # Supporting tools
├── vendor/                # Vendored dependencies (optional)
├── go.mod                 # Module definition
├── go.sum                 # Dependency checksums
├── Makefile              # Build automation
└── README.md

Key directories:

Rules:

• internal/ cannot be imported by external packages (enforced by Go compiler)
• One main.go per cmd/<app>/ subdirectory
• Keep pkg/ minimal. Place application code in internal/ unless other modules must import it.
• Flat is better than nested - avoid deep hierarchies

Minimal Project

For small projects:

myproject/
├── main.go
├── handler.go
├── service.go
├── repository.go
├── go.mod
├── go.sum
└── README.md

Package Naming

// ❌ BAD: Stuttering
auth.AuthService
user.UserRepository
http.HTTPClient

// ✅ GOOD: Concise
auth.Service
user.Repository
http.Client

Rules:

• Lowercase, single word
• No underscores or mixedCaps
• Avoid generic names (util, common, base, helper)
• Name by purpose, not type (auth, logger, not structs, interfaces)

Error Handling

Basic Pattern

// ✅ GOOD: Immediate error check
result, err := doSomething()
if err != nil {
    return nil, err
}

// ❌ BAD: Deferred error check
result, err := doSomething()
// ... many lines ...
if err != nil {
    return nil, err
}

Error Wrapping

// ✅ GOOD: Wrap errors with context
func processUser(id int) error {
    user, err := fetchUser(id)
    if err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to fetch user %d: %w", id, err)
    }
    
    if err := saveUser(user); err != nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to save user %d: %w", id, err)
    }
    
    return nil
}

// Check wrapped errors
err := processUser(123)
if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
    // Handle specific error
}

Use %w for wrapping, %v for opaque errors.

Custom Errors

// Define sentinel errors for expected conditions
var (
    ErrUserNotFound = errors.New("user not found")
    ErrInvalidInput = errors.New("invalid input")
    ErrUnauthorized = errors.New("unauthorized")
)

// Use in code
func getUser(id int) (*User, error) {
    if id <= 0 {
        return nil, ErrInvalidInput
    }
    
    user := db.FindUser(id)
    if user == nil {
        return nil, ErrUserNotFound
    }
    
    return user, nil
}

// Check in caller
user, err := getUser(id)
if errors.Is(err, ErrUserNotFound) {
    return http.StatusNotFound
}

Error Types

// For errors with additional context
type ValidationError struct {
    Field string
    Value interface{}
    Err   error
}

func (e *ValidationError) Error() string {
    return fmt.Sprintf("validation failed for field %s: %v", e.Field, e.Err)
}

func (e *ValidationError) Unwrap() error {
    return e.Err
}

// Usage
func validateAge(age int) error {
    if age < 0 {
        return &ValidationError{
            Field: "age",
            Value: age,
            Err:   errors.New("must be non-negative"),
        }
    }
    return nil
}

Error Handling Anti-Patterns

// ❌ BAD: Ignoring errors
result, _ := doSomething()

// ❌ BAD: Generic error messages
if err != nil {
    return errors.New("error")
}

// ❌ BAD: Panic for expected errors
if err != nil {
    panic(err)  // Only use panic for truly unrecoverable situations
}

// ✅ GOOD: Explicit handling
result, err := doSomething()
if err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("failed to do something: %w", err)
}

Interfaces

Accept Interfaces, Return Structs

// ❌ BAD: Returning interface
func NewService() ServiceInterface {
    return &service{}
}

// ✅ GOOD: Returning struct
func NewService() *Service {
    return &Service{}
}

// ✅ GOOD: Accepting interface
func ProcessData(r io.Reader) error {
    // Can accept *os.File, bytes.Buffer, etc.
}

Small Interfaces

// ✅ GOOD: Single-method interfaces
type Reader interface {
    Read(p []byte) (n int, err error)
}

type Writer interface {
    Write(p []byte) (n int, err error)
}

// ✅ GOOD: Compose when needed
type ReadWriter interface {
    Reader
    Writer
}

// ❌ BAD: Large interfaces
type UserService interface {
    CreateUser(ctx context.Context, user *User) error
    GetUser(ctx context.Context, id int) (*User, error)
    UpdateUser(ctx context.Context, user *User) error
    DeleteUser(ctx context.Context, id int) error
    ListUsers(ctx context.Context, filter Filter) ([]*User, error)
    SearchUsers(ctx context.Context, query string) ([]*User, error)
    // ... 10 more methods
}

Rule: "The bigger the interface, the weaker the abstraction."

Interface Definition Location

// ✅ GOOD: Define interfaces where they're used (consumer-side)
package handler

type UserRepository interface {
    GetUser(id int) (*User, error)
}

type Handler struct {
    repo UserRepository
}

// Separate implementation
package postgres

type UserRepo struct {
    db *sql.DB
}

func (r *UserRepo) GetUser(id int) (*User, error) {
    // Implementation
}

Rule: Let consumers define interfaces, not providers.

Concurrency

Goroutines

// ✅ GOOD: Launch goroutine
go func() {
    result := compute()
    fmt.Println(result)
}()

// ✅ GOOD: Launch with closure
for _, item := range items {
    item := item  // Capture loop variable
    go func() {
        process(item)
    }()
}

// ❌ BAD: Loop variable capture
for _, item := range items {
    go func() {
        process(item)  // All goroutines will see the same 'item'
    }()
}

Channels

// Unbuffered channel (synchronous)
ch := make(chan int)

// Buffered channel (asynchronous)
ch := make(chan int, 10)

// Send and receive
ch <- 42      // Send
value := <-ch // Receive

// Close channel (sender's responsibility)
close(ch)

// Check if closed
value, ok := <-ch
if !ok {
    // Channel closed
}

// Range over channel (stops when closed)
for value := range ch {
    process(value)
}

Select Statement

select {
case msg := <-ch1:
    fmt.Println("Received from ch1:", msg)
case msg := <-ch2:
    fmt.Println("Received from ch2:", msg)
case ch3 <- msg:
    fmt.Println("Sent to ch3")
case <-time.After(1 * time.Second):
    fmt.Println("Timeout")
default:
    fmt.Println("No channel ready")
}

Worker Pool Pattern

func workerPool(jobs <-chan Job, results chan<- Result, numWorkers int) {
    var wg sync.WaitGroup
    
    // Start workers
    for i := 0; i < numWorkers; i++ {
        wg.Add(1)
        go func() {
            defer wg.Done()
            for job := range jobs {
                result := processJob(job)
                results <- result
            }
        }()
    }
    
    // Wait for all workers to finish
    wg.Wait()
    close(results)
}

// Usage
jobs := make(chan Job, 100)
results := make(chan Result, 100)

go workerPool(jobs, results, 5)

// Send jobs
for _, job := range allJobs {
    jobs <- job
}
close(jobs)

// Collect results
for result := range results {
    fmt.Println(result)
}

Context for Cancellation

func doWork(ctx context.Context) error {
    // Create channel for result
    resultCh := make(chan Result)
    errCh := make(chan error)
    
    // Start work in goroutine
    go func() {
        result, err := expensiveOperation()
        if err != nil {
            errCh <- err
            return
        }
        resultCh <- result
    }()
    
    // Wait for result or cancellation
    select {
    case result := <-resultCh:
        return processResult(result)
    case err := <-errCh:
        return fmt.Errorf("operation failed: %w", err)
    case <-ctx.Done():
        return ctx.Err()
    }
}

// Usage
ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
defer cancel()

err := doWork(ctx)
if errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
    // Handle timeout
}

Mutex for Shared State

type SafeCounter struct {
    mu    sync.RWMutex
    count map[string]int
}

func (c *SafeCounter) Inc(key string) {
    c.mu.Lock()
    defer c.mu.Unlock()
    c.count[key]++
}

func (c *SafeCounter) Value(key string) int {
    c.mu.RLock()
    defer c.mu.RUnlock()
    return c.count[key]
}

Rule: Use sync.RWMutex when reads vastly outnumber writes.

Common Concurrency Patterns

Fan-out, fan-in:

func fanOut(input <-chan int, workers int) []<-chan int {
    channels := make([]<-chan int, workers)
    for i := 0; i < workers; i++ {
        ch := make(chan int)
        channels[i] = ch
        go func() {
            defer close(ch)
            for v := range input {
                ch <- process(v)
            }
        }()
    }
    return channels
}

func fanIn(channels []<-chan int) <-chan int {
    out := make(chan int)
    var wg sync.WaitGroup
    
    for _, ch := range channels {
        wg.Add(1)
        go func(c <-chan int) {
            defer wg.Done()
            for v := range c {
                out <- v
            }
        }(ch)
    }
    
    go func() {
        wg.Wait()
        close(out)
    }()
    
    return out
}

Pipeline:

func gen(nums ...int) <-chan int {
    out := make(chan int)
    go func() {
        defer close(out)
        for _, n := range nums {
            out <- n
        }
    }()
    return out
}

func sq(in <-chan int) <-chan int {
    out := make(chan int)
    go func() {
        defer close(out)
        for n := range in {
            out <- n * n
        }
    }()
    return out
}

// Usage
nums := gen(2, 3, 4)
squares := sq(nums)
for s := range squares {
    fmt.Println(s)
}

Testing

Table-Driven Tests

func TestAdd(t *testing.T) {
    tests := []struct {
        name     string
        a, b     int
        expected int
    }{
        {"positive", 1, 2, 3},
        {"negative", -1, -2, -3},
        {"mixed", 1, -1, 0},
        {"zero", 0, 0, 0},
    }
    
    for _, tt := range tests {
        t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            result := Add(tt.a, tt.b)
            if result != tt.expected {
                t.Errorf("Add(%d, %d) = %d; want %d", tt.a, tt.b, result, tt.expected)
            }
        })
    }
}

Subtests

func TestUser(t *testing.T) {
    t.Run("Create", func(t *testing.T) {
        user := NewUser("alice")
        if user.Name != "alice" {
            t.Errorf("expected name alice, got %s", user.Name)
        }
    })
    
    t.Run("Update", func(t *testing.T) {
        user := NewUser("alice")
        user.SetName("bob")
        if user.Name != "bob" {
            t.Errorf("expected name bob, got %s", user.Name)
        }
    })
}

Test Helpers

func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
    // Setup
    setup()
    
    // Run tests
    code := m.Run()
    
    // Teardown
    teardown()
    
    os.Exit(code)
}

func setup() {
    // Initialize test database, etc.
}

func teardown() {
    // Cleanup
}

Mocking with Interfaces

// Define interface
type UserRepository interface {
    GetUser(id int) (*User, error)
}

// Real implementation
type PostgresRepo struct {
    db *sql.DB
}

func (r *PostgresRepo) GetUser(id int) (*User, error) {
    // Real database query
}

// Mock for testing
type MockRepo struct {
    GetUserFunc func(id int) (*User, error)
}

func (m *MockRepo) GetUser(id int) (*User, error) {
    return m.GetUserFunc(id)
}

// Test
func TestService(t *testing.T) {
    mockRepo := &MockRepo{
        GetUserFunc: func(id int) (*User, error) {
            return &User{ID: id, Name: "test"}, nil
        },
    }
    
    service := NewService(mockRepo)
    user, err := service.GetUser(1)
    
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
    }
    if user.Name != "test" {
        t.Errorf("expected name test, got %s", user.Name)
    }
}

Testing HTTP Handlers

func TestHandler(t *testing.T) {
    req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/users/1", nil)
    w := httptest.NewRecorder()
    
    handler := NewHandler()
    handler.ServeHTTP(w, req)
    
    if w.Code != http.StatusOK {
        t.Errorf("expected status 200, got %d", w.Code)
    }
    
    var user User
    if err := json.NewDecoder(w.Body).Decode(&user); err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("failed to decode response: %v", err)
    }
    
    if user.ID != 1 {
        t.Errorf("expected user ID 1, got %d", user.ID)
    }
}

Benchmarks

func BenchmarkAdd(b *testing.B) {
    for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
        Add(1, 2)
    }
}

func BenchmarkAddParallel(b *testing.B) {
    b.RunParallel(func(pb *testing.PB) {
        for pb.Next() {
            Add(1, 2)
        }
    })
}

Run: go test -bench=.

Coverage

go test -cover
go test -coverprofile=coverage.out
go tool cover -html=coverage.out

Common Patterns

Constructor Pattern

// ✅ GOOD: New function returns pointer
func NewService(repo Repository) *Service {
    return &Service{
        repo: repo,
    }
}

// ✅ GOOD: Functional options
type ServiceOption func(*Service)

func WithTimeout(d time.Duration) ServiceOption {
    return func(s *Service) {
        s.timeout = d
    }
}

func NewService(opts ...ServiceOption) *Service {
    s := &Service{
        timeout: 30 * time.Second, // default
    }
    
    for _, opt := range opts {
        opt(s)
    }
    
    return s
}

// Usage
svc := NewService(
    WithTimeout(1 * time.Minute),
    WithRetries(3),
)

Builder Pattern (Rare in Go)

// Only use when construction is complex
type RequestBuilder struct {
    method  string
    url     string
    headers map[string]string
    body    io.Reader
}

func NewRequestBuilder() *RequestBuilder {
    return &RequestBuilder{
        headers: make(map[string]string),
    }
}

func (b *RequestBuilder) Method(m string) *RequestBuilder {
    b.method = m
    return b
}

func (b *RequestBuilder) URL(u string) *RequestBuilder {
    b.url = u
    return b
}

func (b *RequestBuilder) Build() (*http.Request, error) {
    return http.NewRequest(b.method, b.url, b.body)
}

// Usage
req, err := NewRequestBuilder().
    Method("POST").
    URL("https://api.example.com").
    Build()

Singleton (Use Sparingly)

var (
    instance *Service
    once     sync.Once
)

func GetInstance() *Service {
    once.Do(func() {
        instance = &Service{}
    })
    return instance
}

Note: Prefer dependency injection over singletons.

Adapter Pattern

// Adapt third-party library to your interface
type Logger interface {
    Info(msg string)
    Error(msg string)
}

type ZapAdapter struct {
    logger *zap.Logger
}

func (z *ZapAdapter) Info(msg string) {
    z.logger.Info(msg)
}

func (z *ZapAdapter) Error(msg string) {
    z.logger.Error(msg)
}

Struct Patterns

Composition Over Inheritance

// ✅ GOOD: Embedding for composition
type User struct {
    ID   int
    Name string
}

type Admin struct {
    User        // Embedded
    Permissions []string
}

// Admin has all User fields
admin := Admin{
    User: User{ID: 1, Name: "alice"},
    Permissions: []string{"read", "write"},
}
fmt.Println(admin.Name) // Directly accessible

Zero Value Usability

// ✅ GOOD: Usable with zero value
type Buffer struct {
    data []byte
}

func (b *Buffer) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
    b.data = append(b.data, p...)
    return len(p), nil
}

// Usage without initialization
var buf Buffer
buf.Write([]byte("hello")) // Works!

Private Fields, Public Methods

type Account struct {
    balance int // private
}

func (a *Account) Balance() int {
    return a.balance
}

func (a *Account) Deposit(amount int) error {
    if amount <= 0 {
        return errors.New("amount must be positive")
    }
    a.balance += amount
    return nil
}

Performance Optimization

Preallocate Slices

// ❌ BAD: Append without capacity
var items []Item
for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
    items = append(items, Item{})
}

// ✅ GOOD: Preallocate capacity
items := make([]Item, 0, 1000)
for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
    items = append(items, Item{})
}

String Builder

// ❌ BAD: String concatenation
var s string
for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
    s += "x"
}

// ✅ GOOD: strings.Builder
var sb strings.Builder
sb.Grow(1000) // Preallocate
for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
    sb.WriteString("x")
}
s := sb.String()

Avoid Allocations

// ❌ BAD: Allocates on every call
func process(items []int) []int {
    result := make([]int, 0)
    for _, item := range items {
        if item > 0 {
            result = append(result, item)
        }
    }
    return result
}

// ✅ GOOD: Reuse slice
func process(items []int, result []int) []int {
    result = result[:0] // Reset length
    for _, item := range items {
        if item > 0 {
            result = append(result, item)
        }
    }
    return result
}

Sync.Pool for Temporary Objects

var bufferPool = sync.Pool{
    New: func() interface{} {
        return new(bytes.Buffer)
    },
}

func processData(data []byte) {
    buf := bufferPool.Get().(*bytes.Buffer)
    defer func() {
        buf.Reset()
        bufferPool.Put(buf)
    }()
    
    buf.Write(data)
    // Use buf
}

Profiling

import _ "net/http/pprof"

func main() {
    go func() {
        log.Println(http.ListenAndServe("localhost:6060", nil))
    }()
    
    // Your application code
}

Access profiles:

• CPU: http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/profile
• Heap: http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/heap
• Goroutines: http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/goroutine

Analyze:

go tool pprof http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/profile

Common Pitfalls

Range Loop Variable Capture

// ❌ BAD: Captures loop variable
for _, item := range items {
    go func() {
        fmt.Println(item) // All goroutines print last item
    }()
}

// ✅ GOOD: Capture explicitly
for _, item := range items {
    item := item // Reassign
    go func() {
        fmt.Println(item)
    }()
}

// ✅ GOOD: Pass as parameter
for _, item := range items {
    go func(i Item) {
        fmt.Println(i)
    }(item)
}

Nil Interface Gotcha

// ❌ BAD: Interface is not nil
func returnsError() error {
    var p *MyError = nil
    return p // error interface is not nil!
}

err := returnsError()
if err != nil {
    // This block executes!
}

// ✅ GOOD: Return explicit nil
func returnsError() error {
    var p *MyError = nil
    if p == nil {
        return nil
    }
    return p
}

Defer in Loops

// ❌ BAD: Defer accumulates
for _, file := range files {
    f, err := os.Open(file)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer f.Close() // Won't run until function returns
}

// ✅ GOOD: Close immediately or use function
for _, file := range files {
    if err := processFile(file); err != nil {
        return err
    }
}

func processFile(filename string) error {
    f, err := os.Open(filename)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer f.Close()
    
    // Process file
    return nil
}

Slice Append Gotcha

// ❌ BAD: Original slice affected
a := []int{1, 2, 3}
b := a[:2]
b = append(b, 4)
// a is now [1, 2, 4]

// ✅ GOOD: Copy slice
a := []int{1, 2, 3}
b := make([]int, len(a[:2]))
copy(b, a[:2])
b = append(b, 4)
// a is still [1, 2, 3]

Map Concurrent Access

// ❌ BAD: Concurrent map writes cause panic
m := make(map[string]int)

go func() {
    m["key"] = 1
}()

go func() {
    m["key"] = 2
}()

// ✅ GOOD: Use sync.Map or mutex
var mu sync.Mutex
m := make(map[string]int)

go func() {
    mu.Lock()
    m["key"] = 1
    mu.Unlock()
}()

go func() {
    mu.Lock()
    m["key"] = 2
    mu.Unlock()
}()

Production Guidance

Logging

// Use structured logging
import "go.uber.org/zap"

logger, _ := zap.NewProduction()
defer logger.Sync()

logger.Info("user logged in",
    zap.Int("user_id", 123),
    zap.String("ip", "192.168.1.1"),
)

logger.Error("failed to process request",
    zap.Error(err),
    zap.String("request_id", reqID),
)

Configuration

// Use environment variables or config files
import "github.com/spf13/viper"

func loadConfig() (*Config, error) {
    viper.SetConfigName("config")
    viper.SetConfigType("yaml")
    viper.AddConfigPath(".")
    viper.AddConfigPath("/etc/myapp/")
    
    viper.SetEnvPrefix("MYAPP")
    viper.AutomaticEnv()
    
    if err := viper.ReadInConfig(); err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    var cfg Config
    if err := viper.Unmarshal(&cfg); err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    return &cfg, nil
}

Graceful Shutdown

func main() {
    srv := &http.Server{
        Addr:    ":8080",
        Handler: handler,
    }
    
    go func() {
        if err := srv.ListenAndServe(); err != nil && err != http.ErrServerClosed {
            log.Fatalf("listen: %s\n", err)
        }
    }()
    
    // Wait for interrupt signal
    quit := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
    signal.Notify(quit, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
    <-quit
    
    log.Println("Shutting down server...")
    
    // Graceful shutdown with timeout
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
    defer cancel()
    
    if err := srv.Shutdown(ctx); err != nil {
        log.Fatal("Server forced to shutdown:", err)
    }
    
    log.Println("Server exiting")
}

Database Connections

import "database/sql"

func initDB() (*sql.DB, error) {
    db, err := sql.Open("postgres", connStr)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    // Connection pool settings
    db.SetMaxOpenConns(25)
    db.SetMaxIdleConns(5)
    db.SetConnMaxLifetime(5 * time.Minute)
    
    // Verify connection
    if err := db.Ping(); err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    return db, nil
}

Context Propagation

// Always pass context as first parameter
func fetchUser(ctx context.Context, userID int) (*User, error) {
    // Use context for cancellation, timeouts, and values
    if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    // Pass context to downstream calls
    return db.GetUser(ctx, userID)
}

// HTTP handler
func handler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    ctx := r.Context()
    
    user, err := fetchUser(ctx, 123)
    if err != nil {
        http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError)
        return
    }
    
    json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(user)
}

Tools and Commands

Essential Commands

# Format code
go fmt ./...

# Lint code (requires golangci-lint)
golangci-lint run

# Run tests
go test ./...

# Run tests with coverage
go test -cover ./...

# Run tests with race detector
go test -race ./...

# Run benchmarks
go test -bench=. ./...

# Build binary
go build -o myapp ./cmd/myapp

# Install dependencies
go mod download

# Tidy dependencies
go mod tidy

# Vendor dependencies
go mod vendor

# Update dependencies
go get -u ./...

# View documentation
go doc fmt.Println

# Run code
go run main.go

Useful Tools

Makefile Example

.PHONY: build test lint clean

build:
	go build -o bin/myapp ./cmd/myapp

test:
	go test -v -race -cover ./...

lint:
	golangci-lint run

clean:
	rm -rf bin/

install-tools:
	go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/cmd/golangci-lint@latest
	go install golang.org/x/tools/cmd/goimports@latest

run:
	go run ./cmd/myapp

Rules

• ALWAYS check errors immediately - defer error checks only when a later check is intentional and documented.
• ALWAYS use context.Context as the first parameter of functions that do I/O or long-running work.
• ALWAYS close resources with defer immediately after opening them (files, connections, etc.).
• ALWAYS use go fmt before committing code - no exceptions.
• ALWAYS run tests with -race flag to catch race conditions.
• NEVER ignore errors - at minimum, log them; never use _ for error returns.
• NEVER use panic for expected errors - panic only for truly unrecoverable situations (programmer errors).
• NEVER share memory by communicating - communicate by sharing memory (use channels over mutexes when possible).
• NEVER mutate slices/maps without understanding capacity - be aware of shared underlying arrays.
• Accept interfaces, return structs - keep APIs flexible by accepting interfaces but returning concrete types.
• Define interfaces where they're used, not where they're implemented (consumer-side).
• Keep interfaces small - single-method interfaces are ideal.
• Use table-driven tests for comprehensive test coverage with minimal code.
• Preallocate slices when size is known - use make([]T, 0, capacity).
• Use strings.Builder for string concatenation in loops - never concatenate strings with +.
• Pass context to downstream functions - never create new context in the middle of a call chain.
• Name packages by purpose, not type - auth, not structs; logger, not interfaces.
• Avoid stuttering in names - user.Repository, not user.UserRepository.

Quick Reference

Minimal HTTP Server

package main

import (
    "encoding/json"
    "log"
    "net/http"
)

type User struct {
    ID   int    `json:"id"`
    Name string `json:"name"`
}

func main() {
    http.HandleFunc("/users", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
        users := []User{
            {ID: 1, Name: "Alice"},
            {ID: 2, Name: "Bob"},
        }
        
        w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
        json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(users)
    })
    
    log.Fatal(http.ListenAndServe(":8080", nil))
}

Minimal CLI App

package main

import (
    "flag"
    "fmt"
    "os"
)

func main() {
    name := flag.String("name", "World", "name to greet")
    flag.Parse()
    
    fmt.Printf("Hello, %s!\n", *name)
}

Module Initialization

# Initialize module
go mod init github.com/myorg/myapp

# Add dependency
go get github.com/pkg/errors

# Remove unused dependencies
go mod tidy

Resources

• Effective Go
• Go Code Review Comments
• Go Proverbs
• Go Blog
• Standard Library
• Awesome Go

Inputs

• Go source files, module (go.mod), and description of the feature, bug, or refactoring goal
• Target Go version and any relevant package constraints

Outputs

• Idiomatic Go code following standard project layout, explicit error handling, and table-driven tests

Examples

// Idiomatic error wrapping
func getUser(id int) (*User, error) {
    u, err := db.QueryUser(id)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("getUser %d: %w", id, err)
    }
    return u, nil
}