7 Resources To Learn Go Programming

Golang or Simply “Go,” is an open-source programming language widely used to develop efficient, fast, and responsive software.

In the cloud-native era, the Go programming language is soaring high in demand amongst developers. If you are a member of the IT ecosystem, then you must have heard about Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes, InfluxDB. All these projects have been built using Go.

Developers can use Go in web development, application development, in-operations, and much more. Moreover, the most popular search engine, Google, uses Go for its wide network of servers.

Furthermore, if you wish to learn this language in-depth, then there are plenty of Go Courses available. This article will give you a detailed insight into that.

However, familiarize yourself with the basics of Go programming first.

Let’s dive in!

What is Go Programming?

Google established Go or Golang programming language in 2007. Go is gaining immense popularity around the globe. Golang imbibes a simple syntax that further allows the developers to easily use this language.

Go is a lean, smart, and compact solution that provides stunning performance even under pressure. The multithreading capabilities incline the developers towards it. Moreover, Go is specifically built to support concurrency so it can easily run on multiple cores.

The primary objective of this programming language is to escalate the productivity of the developers due to these spectacular features associated with it.

Furthermore, Go prepares you to work on the projects and develop some impressive skills as a programmer.

Now that you are well acquainted with the concept of this programming language, familiarize yourselves with the Go Installation.

Go Installation 

There are two ways to install Go. One is through the compiled binaries and the other is to build it from the source. Here’s how to install Go on your system via the simpler method:

• Visit the official Golang website
• Tap on the Download Go button and select the appropriate binary according to your system: Windows, Mac, Linux
• It is recommended to go for the stable version – go1.17.2

After you successfully download the Go installer, install it on your computer system. Follow these steps in a step-by-step fashion:

Open the MSI file you just downloaded:

• The installer installs Go by default to Program Files or Program Files (x86). You can change this location at your own convenience. Once you successfully install the installer, reopen the command prompt in case it is already open, so that all the changes to the ecosystem are successfully installed

Complete the verification after the installation process

• Go to Windows, and tap on the Start menu
• Type cmd in the search box and press enter
• When the command prompt window appears on the screen type in the following command: $ go version
• You can now see the installed version of Go on your screen

Voila! You have successfully installed and completed the verification of Go. You can now access the language on your respective systems.

Now that you have Go, take a look at the brief introduction of the Go programming language, wherein we will cover how to execute a piece of code.

Basics of Golang Programming

We’ll cover a few basics to help you get a hold on Golang Programming

• Programming experience
• Command terminal
• Tools for editing the code

Commence your journey with the simple ‘Hello World’ code. Here is how you can execute the code:

Go to the command prompt and type in:

• For Windows: cd
• For Linux or Mac: cd %HOMEPATH%

The next step is to create a directory for your code. Use the below-mentioned commands:

• mkdir hello
• cd hello

Now, initiate the dependency tracking.

Your Go source code imports packages from other modules. You need to manage these dependencies via your own code’s module. Your course module is contained in a go.mod file. This file helps to track the modules that provide you with those packages. The go.mod file stays in the source code repository along with your code.

Furthermore, to enable dependency tracking, follow these instructions:

• Run the go mod init command and assign it the name of your module that consists of your code. Generally, the name is the module’s path. This module part is the location of your repository where the source code is located

To create the module follow this command:

$ go mod init example1/hello

go: creating new go.mod : module example1/hello

Now, go to your text editor and create a file named hello.go to write the code.

Type in the below-mentioned code and subsequently, save the file.

package main
import “fmt”
func main () {
fmt. Println(“Hello! World!”)
}

Explanation of the code:

• Declaration of the main package
• Importing the fmt package. This package imbibes all the functions to format text. It is a standard library package that you receive during the installation of Go
• Implementation of the main function to print the message.

See the message on your screen, run your code

• $ go run
• Hello, World!

Congratulations! You just executed your first code using the Go programming language.

Now, to learn the core constructs and techniques of the language, we recommend you to sign up for learning Go.

There are a plethora of credible sources that can assist you to learn this language efficiently. But first, here are the major learning objectives of the Go Course.

What are the Learning Objectives of Go Course?

In the Go course, you will:

• Understand the factors that make Go a complete package
• Learn about the installation of the Go toolchain
• Know about the Go toolchain commands to test, manage, and compile the Go code
• Gain information about working with the Go playground to run and test snippets of the code
• Understand the steps to install visual studio code and debug or edit the Go programs
• In-depth knowledge about the usage of syntax and features associated with the language
• Learn about the management of the Go modules for module dependency management

Now, let us tread ahead and know about the resources available to learn and polish your skills in Golang.

We have curated a list of the best available resources that can assist you to master your hold over this programming language.

Go Course: Resources to Master Go Programming Language

Here are the best available resources:

1. Golang Official Website
2. Go Mobile
3. Go by example
4. Effective Go
5. A Tour of Go
6. Go Bootcamp
7. Udemy: The Developer’s Guide

Let’s analyze them one by one!

Golang Official Website

The official website of Golang is the richest source and medium to learn this programming language. There are abundant tutorials, several informative documents, ways to write effective code, and much more.

It also has a Go playground. Here, you can practice coding anytime you want. Moreover, if you wish to test the code in your browser you can use https://play.golang.org as a REPL without installing Go.

In addition, you can also access the Go Mobile app available for both Android and iOS.

Go Mobile

Go Mobile provides support for mobile platforms including both the android and the iOS platforms.

To inhabit Go into your mobile stack, follow these two strategies:

• Write SDK applications by creating bindings from the Go package and run from Java in case of Android or Objective C in case of iOS
• Write the Go native mobile applications
  

Go by Example

If you want to learn the basics of the Go programming language, this is your place to be.

There are ample methods and running examples to teach you the concepts. The site is user-friendly and focuses on learning. Here are some topics that provide you with the easiest and simple explanations:

• Maps
• Range
• Functions
• For
• Arrays
• Slices
• Functions

Furthermore, you can learn some essential topics of the language in this Go course including values,range, pointers, closures, recursion, channel buffering, spawning processes, command-line flags, closing channels, rate limiting, and much more.

Effective Go

Effective Go is another resource available free of cost on the official Go website.

It not only contains syntax references but a detailed description of the major Go features and constructs. Effective Go offers you a comprehensive guide to learn the Go language in depth.

Key pointers of the course:

• Understand all the basic and advanced features of Go
• Basics of the language along with set up
• Learn the application of interfaces to simplify complex programs
• Build concurrent programs with Goroutines and channels
• Detailed explanation of core topics such as formatting, functions, control structures, embedding, concurrency, and much more
• An in-depth explanation of all the topics

Overall, this Go course provides a detailed overview of the concepts of Go language. You can polish your basics and gain a deep knowledge here.

A Tour of Go

Tour of Go is an interactive and unique course provided by the official Go website. It takes you on a tour to understand the Go programming in detail.

No local setup is required for it. You can visit the website and commence your learning process. Each topic comprises a detailed explanation about the topic on the left and a hands-on code for you to practice on the right.

It covers the most important features of the language such as:

• Packages
• Variables
• Functions
• Flow control statements
• Methods and interfaces
• Concurrency

Every topic contains sub-parts and detailed descriptions with a pre-written code. To practice, you can execute the code there and then.

Overall, it is a simple and user-friendly platform with no complicated interface. We recommend you to opt for this easy-to-learn approach and understand the Go language in detail.

Go Bootcamp

Go Bootcamp is an online resource book. This guide will help you to learn the Golang language effectively. There are ample examples and detailed explanations of the core topics. Moreover, all the solutions are present in an online environment that can be directly executed in the browser.

The core chapters in this book are:

• Basics
• Collection types
• Control flow
• Methods
• Interfaces
• Concurrency
• Get setup
• Tips and tricks

As you can see, it consists of a ‘Get Setup’ unit. With this, you can easily get instructions to install Go on your respective systems.

In a nutshell, to attain a deep understanding of the Go language, you can follow this comprehensive resource guide.

Udemy: The Complete Developer’s Guide

Udemy is an excellent platform for learning the Go programming language. There are abundant topics related to the language explained in the easiest ways. In addition, there are a lot of concise examples related to each topic. It further helps you to gain an understanding quickly and with ease.

The major highlights of this course are stated below:

• Develop concurrent programs with Goroutines and channels
• Understand the basic and advanced features of Go
• Gain a deep insight into the differences between commonly used data structures
• Test your knowledge with a plethora of quiz questions
• Implement interfaces for simplifications of complex programs
• Use types to future-proof your piece of code
• Learn about the critical design decisions in this language

With Udemy, you can master the fundamentals of the Go language efficiently.

These were some of the most beneficial and credible resources available to learn the Golang programming language. Besides, you can always browse the internet and learn from various YouTube channels or even books.

Go Course Conclusion

The primary objective behind the development of Go is to get the work done easily. It is a spectacular way to resolve some real-world problems.

It inhabits concepts via imperative languages. Go results in fast compilation and execution. Furthermore, it also inhabits easy-to-understand concurrency as multi-core CPUs are frequently being used at present.

Go is a successful establishment and is being used by big tech giants.

In a nutshell, this article helps you to gain an in-depth understanding of the Go programming language. We hope that the information provided above adds value to your knowledge and widens your learning horizons.

Happy Learning

Sameeksha Medewar

Sameeksha is a freelance content writer for more than half and a year. She has a hunger to explore and learn new things. She possesses a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.