Go Context Cancellation

Context Cancellation

Pattern

Pass context.Context as first parameter. Check ctx.Done() in goroutines and long operations.

CORRECT

func ProcessItems(ctx context.Context, items []string) error {
    for _, item := range items {
        select {
        case <-ctx.Done():
            return ctx.Err()
        default:
            if err := processItem(item); err != nil {
                return err
            }
        }
    }
    return nil
}

func main() {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
    defer cancel()

    if err := ProcessItems(ctx, items); err != nil {
        log.Printf("processing failed: %v", err)
    }
}

WRONG - No context checking

func ProcessItems(items []string) error {
    for _, item := range items {
        // No way to cancel - runs forever if stuck
        if err := processItem(item); err != nil {
            return err
        }
    }
    return nil
}

Rules

1. Context is first parameter: func Do(ctx context.Context, ...)
2. Always call cancel() via defer to prevent leaks
3. Check ctx.Done() in loops and before expensive operations
4. Propagate context to downstream calls
5. Use context.WithTimeout or WithDeadline for time limits

Common Patterns

// HTTP server with context
func handler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    ctx := r.Context() // Request context
    result, err := fetchData(ctx)
    // ...
}

// Worker with cancellation
func worker(ctx context.Context) {
    for {
        select {
        case <-ctx.Done():
            return
        case work := <-workCh:
            process(work)
        }
    }
}

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