Go Best Practices

Purpose

Apply idiomatic Go patterns and best practices from official Go documentation.

Rules

1. Formatting

rules:
  - Use gofmt for all code formatting
  - Indentation uses tabs, not spaces
  - No line length limit, but break long lines sensibly
  - Let gofmt handle alignment

2. Naming Conventions

package_names:
  - Short, concise, lowercase, single-word
  - No underscores or mixedCaps
  - Name is basename of source directory
  - Example: bufio, not bufIO or buf_io

getters:
  - No "Get" prefix for getters
  - obj.Owner() not obj.GetOwner()
  - Setter can use "Set": obj.SetOwner(user)

interface_names:
  - One-method interfaces: method name + "er"
  - Reader, Writer, Formatter, CloseNotifier
  - Avoid stealing standard names unless same signature

mixedCaps:
  - Use MixedCaps or mixedCaps, never underscores
  - Exported: MixedCaps (uppercase first)
  - Unexported: mixedCaps (lowercase first)

3. Control Structures

if_statements:
  - Accept initialization statement
  - Prefer: if err := file.Chmod(0664); err != nil
  - Omit else when if ends with break/continue/return
  - Avoid unnecessary else

for_loops:
  - Go's only loop construct
  - for init; condition; post { } - like C for
  - for condition { } - like C while
  - for { } - infinite loop
  - Use range for strings, slices, arrays, maps, channels

switch:
  - Cases don't fall through by default
  - Use fallthrough keyword if needed
  - Multiple cases: case '0', '1', '2'
  - Type switch: switch v := x.(type)

4. Functions

multiple_returns:
  - Return multiple values for result + error
  - func (file *File) Write(b []byte) (n int, err error)

named_results:
  - Document return values with names
  - Can simplify code but use judiciously
  - Unnamed returns OK for short functions

defer:
  - Executes when function returns
  - LIFO order for multiple defers
  - Use for cleanup: unlock mutexes, close files
  - Arguments evaluated when defer executes, not when called

5. Data

new_vs_make:
  - new(T): allocates zeroed storage, returns *T
  - make(T, args): creates slices, maps, channels only
  - make returns initialized (not zeroed) value of type T

slices:
  - Backed by arrays, can grow
  - append() to add elements
  - copy() for safe duplication
  - Slice of slice shares underlying array

maps:
  - Reference type, nil until initialized
  - make(map[KeyType]ValueType)
  - Comma ok idiom: val, ok := map[key]
  - delete(map, key) to remove

6. Methods

pointer_vs_value_receivers:
  - Pointer receiver: can modify, no copy overhead
  - Value receiver: safe from modification
  - If any method needs pointer, all should use pointer
  - Rule: values immutable, pointers mutable

7. Interfaces

design:
  - Interfaces define behavior, not data
  - Small interfaces (1-3 methods) preferred
  - Accept interfaces, return structs
  - If type implements interface, it satisfies implicitly

common_interfaces:
  - io.Reader: Read(p []byte) (n int, err error)
  - io.Writer: Write(p []byte) (n int, err error)
  - fmt.Stringer: String() string
  - error: Error() string

8. Concurrency

goroutines:
  - Lightweight, multiplexed onto OS threads
  - go function() to start
  - Don't communicate by sharing memory
  - Share memory by communicating

channels:
  - Primary synchronization mechanism
  - ch := make(chan int) - unbuffered
  - ch := make(chan int, 100) - buffered
  - Send: ch <- v
  - Receive: v := <-ch
  - Close: close(ch)

patterns:
  - Don't leak goroutines - ensure they exit
  - Use context for cancellation
  - select for multiple channel operations
  - sync.WaitGroup for goroutine coordination

9. Error Handling

principles:
  - Errors are values, handle them explicitly
  - Check errors immediately after call
  - Return errors, don't panic
  - Add context when propagating: fmt.Errorf("op failed: %w", err)

panic_recover:
  - Panic for unrecoverable errors only
  - Library functions should return errors, not panic
  - Recover only in deferred functions
  - Convert internal panics to errors at package boundary

10. Project Structure

packages:
  - One package per directory
  - Package name matches directory name
  - main package for executables
  - Avoid circular imports

files:
  - doc.go for package documentation
  - _test.go suffix for test files
  - Group related types and functions

Application

When writing or reviewing Go code:

1. Always run gofmt or goimports
2. Always handle returned errors
3. Prefer composition over inheritance
4. Prefer small interfaces
5. Prefer channels for goroutine communication
6. Avoid global state
7. Avoid init() when possible
8. Document exported identifiers

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