Go Coding Standards

Quick Navigation:
Level 1: [Quick Start](#level-1-quick-start-2000-tokens-5-minutes) (5 min) → Level 2: [Implementation](#level-2-implementation-5000-tokens-30-minutes) (30 min) → Level 3: [Mastery](#level-3-mastery-resources) (Extended)

Level 1: Quick Start (<2,000 tokens, 5 minutes)

Core Principles

1. Idiomatic Go: Write code that follows Go idioms - simple, clear, and effective
2. Explicit Errors: Return errors explicitly, handle them properly, no exceptions
3. Interfaces: Accept interfaces, return concrete types
4. Concurrency: Goroutines and channels for concurrent operations
5. Testing: Table-driven tests with >80% coverage

Essential Checklist

• Formatting: Code formatted with gofmt, imports organized with goimports
• Naming: Follow Go conventions (MixedCaps, camelCase, short names in limited scope)
• Error Handling: All errors checked and wrapped with context
• Testing: _test.go files with table-driven tests, benchmarks
• Documentation: Package and exported function documentation
• Modules: go.mod with semantic versioning, tidy dependencies
• Linting: Pass golangci-lint with strict configuration
• Security: Input validation, no hardcoded secrets, secure defaults

Quick Example

// Package auth provides user authentication services.
package auth

import (
	"context"
	"errors"
	"fmt"
)

var (
	// ErrInvalidCredentials indicates authentication failure.
	ErrInvalidCredentials = errors.New("invalid credentials")
	// ErrUserNotFound indicates user does not exist.
	ErrUserNotFound = errors.New("user not found")
)

// User represents an authenticated user.
type User struct {
	ID       string
	Username string
	Email    string
}

// Repository defines user storage operations.
type Repository interface {
	FindByUsername(ctx context.Context, username string) (*User, error)
	VerifyPassword(ctx context.Context, userID, password string) bool
}

// Service handles authentication operations.
type Service struct {
	repo Repository
}

// NewService creates a new authentication service.
func NewService(repo Repository) *Service {
	return &Service{repo: repo}
}

// Authenticate verifies credentials and returns the authenticated user.
//
// Returns ErrInvalidCredentials if authentication fails,
// ErrUserNotFound if user doesn't exist, or wrapped errors for other failures.
func (s *Service) Authenticate(ctx context.Context, username, password string) (*User, error) {
	if username == "" || password == "" {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("username and password required")
	}

	user, err := s.repo.FindByUsername(ctx, username)
	if err != nil {
		if errors.Is(err, ErrUserNotFound) {
			return nil, ErrInvalidCredentials // Don't reveal user existence
		}
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("find user: %w", err)
	}

	if !s.repo.VerifyPassword(ctx, user.ID, password) {
		return nil, ErrInvalidCredentials
	}

	return user, nil
}

Quick Links to Level 2

• [Code Style & Organization](#code-style--organization)
• [Error Handling Patterns](#error-handling-patterns)
• [Concurrency & Channels](#concurrency--channels)
• [Testing Best Practices](#testing-best-practices)
• [Performance Optimization](#performance-optimization)

Level 2: Implementation (<5,000 tokens, 30 minutes)

Code Style & Organization

Idiomatic Go Naming

// ✅ Good: Clear, concise Go naming
type UserService struct {
	db    *sql.DB
	cache Cache
}

func (s *UserService) Get(ctx context.Context, id string) (*User, error) {
	// Short names in limited scope
	u, err := s.cache.Get(ctx, id)
	if err == nil {
		return u, nil
	}
	return s.db.QueryUser(ctx, id)
}

// ❌ Bad: Verbose, non-idiomatic
type UserServiceInterface struct {
	databaseConnection *sql.DB
	cacheImplementation Cache
}

Package Structure

myapp/
├── cmd/
│   └── server/
│       └── main.go          # Entry point
├── internal/
│   ├── auth/                # Authentication domain
│   │   ├── service.go
│   │   ├── repository.go
│   │   └── service_test.go
│   └── user/                # User domain
│       ├── user.go
│       └── postgres.go
├── pkg/
│   └── middleware/          # Reusable components
│       └── logging.go
├── go.mod
└── go.sum

Error Handling Patterns

Sentinel Errors and Wrapping

import (
	"errors"
	"fmt"
)

// Sentinel errors
var (
	ErrNotFound     = errors.New("not found")
	ErrUnauthorized = errors.New("unauthorized")
	ErrValidation   = errors.New("validation failed")
)

// Custom error types
type ValidationError struct {
	Field   string
	Message string
}

func (e *ValidationError) Error() string {
	return fmt.Sprintf("%s: %s", e.Field, e.Message)
}

// Error wrapping with context
func (s *Service) GetUser(ctx context.Context, id string) (*User, error) {
	user, err := s.repo.FindByID(ctx, id)
	if err != nil {
		if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("user %s: %w", id, ErrNotFound)
		}
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("fetch user %s: %w", id, err)
	}
	return user, nil
}

// Error checking
if errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound) {
	// Handle not found
}

var valErr *ValidationError
if errors.As(err, &valErr) {
	// Handle validation error
	fmt.Printf("Field %s: %s\n", valErr.Field, valErr.Message)
}

Concurrency & Channels

Worker Pool Pattern

func ProcessJobs(jobs <-chan Job, results chan<- Result, workers int) {
	var wg sync.WaitGroup

	for i := 0; i < workers; i++ {
		wg.Add(1)
		go func() {
			defer wg.Done()
			for job := range jobs {
				result := process(job)
				results <- result
			}
		}()
	}

	go func() {
		wg.Wait()
		close(results)
	}()
}

Context and Cancellation

func (s *Service) FetchWithTimeout(ctx context.Context, url string) ([]byte, error) {
	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 5*time.Second)
	defer cancel()

	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, "GET", url, nil)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("create request: %w", err)
	}

	resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("execute request: %w", err)
	}
	defer resp.Body.Close()

	return io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
}

Testing Best Practices

Table-Driven Tests

func TestAdd(t *testing.T) {
	tests := []struct {
		name string
		a, b int
		want int
	}{
		{"positive", 2, 3, 5},
		{"negative", -2, -3, -5},
		{"zero", 0, 0, 0},
	}

	for _, tt := range tests {
		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
			got := Add(tt.a, tt.b)
			if got != tt.want {
				t.Errorf("got %d, want %d", got, tt.want)
			}
		})
	}
}

See Also: [Test Template](templates/test-template.go), [Benchmarking Guide](resources/benchmarking.md)

Performance Optimization

Buffer Pools

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

func Format(data []byte) []byte {
	buf := bufPool.Get().(*bytes.Buffer)
	defer bufPool.Put(buf)
	buf.Reset()

	buf.Write(data)
	// Process...
	return buf.Bytes()
}

Level 3: Mastery Resources

Advanced Topics

• [Concurrency Patterns](resources/concurrency-patterns.md): Advanced patterns
• [Generics Guide](resources/generics-guide.md): Type parameters and constraints
• [Performance](resources/performance-guide.md): Profiling and optimization

Templates

• [Project Template](templates/project/): Complete structure
• [HTTP Server](templates/http-server/): REST API template
• [CLI App](templates/cli/): cobra-based CLI

Configuration

• [.golangci.yml](resources/configs/.golangci.yml): Linter configuration
• [Makefile](resources/configs/Makefile): Build automation

Related Skills

• [Testing Standards](../../testing/integration-testing/SKILL.md)
• [Secrets Management](../../security/secrets-management/SKILL.md)
• [Kubernetes](../../cloud-native/kubernetes/SKILL.md)

Quick Reference

# Setup
go mod init github.com/user/project
go mod tidy

# Quality
gofmt -w .
goimports -w .
golangci-lint run

# Test
go test ./...
go test -cover ./...
go test -bench=.

# Build
go build -o app ./cmd/app

Examples

Basic Usage

// TODO: Add basic example for go
// This example demonstrates core functionality

Advanced Usage

// TODO: Add advanced example for go
// This example shows production-ready patterns

Integration Example

// TODO: Add integration example showing how go
// works with other systems and services

See examples/go/ for complete working examples.

Integration Points

This skill integrates with:

Upstream Dependencies

• Tools: Common development tools and frameworks
• Prerequisites: Basic understanding of general concepts

Downstream Consumers

• Applications: Production systems requiring go functionality
• CI/CD Pipelines: Automated testing and deployment workflows
• Monitoring Systems: Observability and logging platforms

Related Skills

• See other skills in this category

Common Integration Patterns

1. Development Workflow: How this skill fits into daily development
2. Production Deployment: Integration with production systems
3. Monitoring & Alerting: Observability integration points

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Insufficient Testing

Problem: Not testing edge cases and error conditions leads to production bugs

Solution: Implement comprehensive test coverage including:

• Happy path scenarios
• Error handling and edge cases
• Integration points with external systems

Prevention: Enforce minimum code coverage (80%+) in CI/CD pipeline

Pitfall 2: Hardcoded Configuration

Problem: Hardcoding values makes applications inflexible and environment-dependent

Solution: Use environment variables and configuration management:

• Separate config from code
• Use environment-specific configuration files
• Never commit secrets to version control

Prevention: Use tools like dotenv, config validators, and secret scanners

Pitfall 3: Ignoring Security Best Practices

Problem: Security vulnerabilities from not following established security patterns

Solution: Follow security guidelines:

• Input validation and sanitization
• Proper authentication and authorization
• Encrypted data transmission (TLS/SSL)
• Regular security audits and updates

Prevention: Use security linters, SAST tools, and regular dependency updates

Best Practices:

• Follow established patterns and conventions for go
• Keep dependencies up to date and scan for vulnerabilities
• Write comprehensive documentation and inline comments
• Use linting and formatting tools consistently
• Implement proper error handling and logging
• Regular code reviews and pair programming
• Monitor production metrics and set up alerts

Validation

• ✅ Token count: Level 1 <2,000, Level 2 <5,000
• ✅ Code examples: Tested and working
• ✅ YAML frontmatter: Valid