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Go (Golang)

Go is an open-source programming language created by Google in 2009. It's designed for simplicity, efficiency, and excellent support for concurrent programming.

What is Go?​

Go (also known as Golang) is a statically typed, compiled programming language known for its fast compilation times, simple syntax, and built-in concurrency features. It combines the efficiency of compiled languages with the ease of use typically found in interpreted languages.

Key Features​

  • Fast Compilation - Compiles to native machine code quickly
  • Simple Syntax - Clean, readable code with minimal keywords
  • Built-in Concurrency - Goroutines and channels for concurrent programming
  • Strong Standard Library - Rich set of packages for common tasks
  • Garbage Collection - Automatic memory management
  • Cross-Platform - Compile for multiple operating systems
  • Strong Typing - Static type system catches errors at compile time
  • Fast Execution - Performance comparable to C/C++

What's Covered​

This section covers Go fundamentals and core concepts for learning the language.

Fundamentals​

Learn the basics of Go programming.

Topics covered:

  • Output with fmt.Println
  • Importing and using packages
  • Strings and formatting (escape characters, raw strings)
  • Math operations and arithmetic operators
  • Comparison operators and boolean logic

Installation​

Ubuntu/Debian​

sudo apt install golang-go

# Verify installation
go version

macOS​

Using Homebrew:

brew install go

# Verify installation
go version

Windows​

Download the installer from golang.org/dl and run it.

Official Binary (All Platforms)​

For the latest version:

  1. Visit golang.org/dl
  2. Download the appropriate package for your system
  3. Follow the installation instructions for your platform
  4. Verify with go version

Quick Start​

Hello World​

Create a file named hello.go:

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Println("Hello, World!")
}

Run it:

# Run directly
go run hello.go

# Or compile and run
go build hello.go
./hello

Learning Path​

  1. Start with Fundamentals - Learn Go syntax and basic output
  2. Practice with Examples - Write small programs to understand concepts
  3. Explore Standard Library - Learn common packages like fmt, math, strings
  4. Study Concurrency - Master goroutines and channels (coming soon)
  5. Build Projects - Apply your knowledge to real applications

Why Learn Go?​

Performance​

  • Compiled to machine code for fast execution
  • Efficient memory management
  • Fast startup times

Simplicity​

  • Minimalist language design (25 keywords)
  • Easy to read and maintain
  • Quick learning curve

Concurrency​

  • Goroutines for lightweight concurrent execution
  • Channels for safe communication between goroutines
  • Built-in race condition detection

Industry Adoption​

  • Used by Google, Uber, Docker, Kubernetes
  • Popular for cloud services and microservices
  • Strong in DevOps and infrastructure tools

Common Use Cases​

  • Web Services - REST APIs and microservices
  • Cloud Infrastructure - Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform
  • DevOps Tools - CLI tools and automation
  • Network Programming - Servers and distributed systems
  • Data Processing - High-performance data pipelines
  • System Programming - Low-level system tools

Getting Started​

Once Go is installed, you can:

  1. Run Go files directly:

    go run filename.go

  2. Compile to executable:

    go build filename.go
    ./filename

  3. Format your code:

    go fmt filename.go

  4. Get package dependencies:

    go get package-name

Next Steps​

After installing Go and learning the fundamentals:

Resources​