Go Idioms

Error Handling

// Return errors, never panic in library code
func LoadConfig(path string) (Config, error) {
    data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
    if err != nil {
        return Config{}, fmt.Errorf("reading config %s: %w", path, err)
    }

    var cfg Config
    if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &cfg); err != nil {
        return Config{}, fmt.Errorf("parsing config: %w", err)
    }

    return cfg, nil
}

Rules:

• Always wrap errors with context using fmt.Errorf("context: %w", err)
• Use %w to allow callers to use errors.Is and errors.As
• Handle errors at the appropriate level; do not log and return the same error
• Define sentinel errors for expected conditions

var (
    ErrNotFound    = errors.New("not found")
    ErrUnauthorized = errors.New("unauthorized")
)

func GetUser(id string) (User, error) {
    user, ok := store[id]
    if !ok {
        return User{}, fmt.Errorf("user %s: %w", id, ErrNotFound)
    }
    return user, nil
}

// Caller
user, err := GetUser(id)
if errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound) {
    http.Error(w, "user not found", http.StatusNotFound)
    return
}

Interface Design

// Keep interfaces small (1-3 methods)
type Reader interface {
    Read(p []byte) (n int, err error)
}

type UserStore interface {
    GetUser(ctx context.Context, id string) (User, error)
    CreateUser(ctx context.Context, u User) error
}

// Accept interfaces, return structs
func NewService(store UserStore, logger *slog.Logger) *Service {
    return &Service{store: store, logger: logger}
}

Rules:

• Define interfaces where they are used (consumer side), not where they are implemented
• Prefer small, composable interfaces over large ones
• Use io.Reader, io.Writer, fmt.Stringer from the standard library
• An interface with one method should be named after the method + er suffix

Goroutine and Channel Patterns