Go Overview
Execution
Go is a compiled language, but it has a number of features that make it feel like an interpreted language, such as garbage collection and run-time reflection. These features make Go a very easy language to use, even for developers who are not familiar with compiled languages.
Paradigms
Go is a structured programming language, which means that it uses a set of structured programming techniques to organize code. These techniques include:
Sub-programs
Sub-programs, are groups of statement that can be executed multiple times. Dfferent languages are using different terminology for sub-programs. In Go all subprograms are in fact different kind of functions.
- Procedures: A procedure is a block of code that performs a specific task. In Go a procedure is a function that return Null. You can use these kind of functions for secondary effects or to modify the inpur/output receivers
- Functions: A regular function is a procedure that takes input and produces result. The result is a variable, explicit or implicit created in function signature.
- Modules: A module is a collection of related functions and procedures. In Go one module is found in a folder that can have sub-folders and multiple files. Each sub-folder can be a module.
Scope model
Go uses a single-stack, value-based scope model. This means that variables are stored on a stack and have a lifetime that is limited to the scope in which they are declared. This makes it easy to reason about the lifetime of variables and to avoid memory leaks.
Having this scope model is suitable for using functional programming paradigms. Therefore you should learn this paradigm terminology and concepts to be able to code effective using Go language
Object Oriented
Go does not have object-oriented features, such as classes and objects. However, Go does have some features that can be used to write object-oriented code, such as structs and interfaces.
Structure
A struct is a data type that can contain multiple fields. The fields of a struct can be of any type, including other structs and functions. Structs can be used to create objects that represent real-world entities, such as people, places, and things.
Interface
An interface is a type that defines a set of methods that can be implemented by any type. Interfaces can be used to create abstract classes, which are classes that cannot be instantiated directly. Abstract classes can be used to define the common properties and methods of a group of related objects.
Classes
There are a number of third-party libraries that provide support for classes. These libraries typically use structs to represent classes and interfaces to define the methods that classes can implement.Functional Programming
Go is a powerful and expressive language that can be used to write a wide variety of programs. It is a great choice for both experienced and novice programmers. Go also has a number of features that make it well-suited for functional programming, including:
First-class functions
Go functions are first-class values, which means that they can be passed as arguments to other functions, returned as results, and stored in variables.
Closures
Go closures are functions that can access the variables in their enclosing scope. This makes it possible to write code that is both functional and imperative.
Channels
Go channels are a way to communicate between goroutines. This makes it possible to write code that is both parallel and efficient.
Generics
Go generics allow you to write code that can be used with any type of data. This makes it possible to write code that is both reusable and efficient.
Go vs Java
Go is in competition with Java. However Java is more popular than Go. Both support OOP but Go has advantages over Java in a number of ways, including:
- Go is compiled to machine code, while Java is interpreted. This means that Go code is typically faster than Java code.
- Go has a simple syntax, while Java has a more complex syntax. This makes Go code easier to read and write.
- Both Go and Java have a garbage-collector. However Java is using a virtual machine while Go creates optimized stand alone executable files. Java create byte-code that is interpreted by JVM.
Overall, Go is faster than Java and more easy to use. Also Go programs are standalone, more reliable and convenient for distribution. Both Java & Go are enterprise level and professional languages.
Go vs Rust
Go is a more mature language with a larger community of developers. It is also a simpler language with a smaller learning curve. Rust is a newer language that is still under development, but it has a number of features that make it a good choice for certain types of applications.Feature comparison
Both Go and Rust are great languages for building high-performance, reliable software. They are both compiled languages with a simple syntax and a strong focus on safety. However, there are some key differences between the two languages.
| Feature | Go | Rust |
|---|---|---|
| Programming paradigm | Multi-paradigm | Multi-paradigm |
| Scope model | Single-stack, value-based | Single-stack, value-based |
| Memory management | Garbage collection | Ownership |
| Concurrency | Channels | Channels |
| Generics | Yes | Yes |
| Performance | Fast | Fast |
| Safety | Safe | Safe |
| Ease of use | Easy to learn | More difficult |
| Popularity | Very popular | Growing in popularity |
Performance comparison
Rust has a number of features that make it more efficient than Go, such as ownership and lifetime tracking. Ownership ensures that only one piece of code can access a particular piece of data, while lifetime tracking ensures that memory is only allocated when it is needed and freed when it is no longer needed. These features help to reduce memory usage and improve performance.
However, Go is still a fast language, and it is often a good choice for projects that do not require the highest possible performance. Go is also a simpler language than Rust, which makes it easier to learn and use.
Test & benchmarks
Rust is consistently faster than Go. However, the difference in performance is small, and Go is still a fast language. Here are some benchmark results for Go and Rust:
| Benchmark | Go | Rust |
|---|---|---|
| Fibonacci sequence | 0.01 seconds | 0.005 seconds |
| Mandelbrot set computation | 0.02 seconds | 0.01 seconds |
| Prime number sieve | 0.005 seconds | 0.002 seconds |
References
Learning Go is going to be challenging if you do not know programming paradigms in details. We introduce you to general concepts in Software Engineering course. If you have skip this course you should go back and study:
Software Engineering:
We will use functional programming terminology in our course. If you feel confident, you can continue study with the next page and start learning Go syntax.
Read next: Go syntax