Hey everyone, From the huge ocean of programming languages, today I'm going to tell about my new favourite language GoLang.
What is GoLang?
The Golang programming language is an open source project from Google. It was made to be a better alternative for writing large programs, especially ones that need concurrency features like channels and goroutines. Golang can also compile code into the machine’s native instruction set so it runs faster than other languages.
Why it is better than others?
GoLang bring a lot of benefits on the table, which makes it better than others, like:
Simple:
It has a simpler syntax than many other languages, much similar to Python. No curly braces, semi-colons or parentheses for control statements. This ease in syntax and writing codes makes it easier to read Golang code which helps engineers to work faster and find errors.Faster Development:
It reduces development time considerably in error checking, concurrency or simplifying complex threads.Portable: Golang can be compiled for any operating system and architecture. This is different from other languages that need to compile code into bytecode which only runs on the same platform they were built in.
Does any company use GoLang?
Yeah, it is used more than you think. Here are some companies which uses GO.
Google
Not a surprise, Golang was developed by Google Engineers and is often used in internal projects. Google Chrome and Google Earth were created in this way.
Uber
One of the biggest companies using Golang is Uber. It is used there for the geofence service, which serves the user’s location and product availability. Geofence makes it possible to precisely define the area with special requirements (e.g. taking into account places such as airports) and to implement dynamic prices.
Twitch
In Twitch, Go is used for the most-loaded systems. It is appreciated for its simplicity, security, efficiency and readability, which means that it perfectly manages problems encountered when displaying live video and simultaneous chats of a large number of users
Daily Motion
Dailymotion is a video streaming website. Thanks to Golang, among others, automation of APIs has been improved.
This language makes it possible to carry out a large number of automation tests, which would otherwise cause huge loads. All because of Golang simplicity and its performance, as well as the possibility of static type checking.
Advantages of GoLang
- Golang is better than other programming languages, therefore it reduces development time considerably through error checking, concurrency handling, simplifying threads and go routines that are scalable.
- It allows concurrent programming which is a big draw for companies who want to save time and resources.
- Golang has a solid standard library that includes everything developers need from math, strings, net/web connections to the more advanced topics of crypto and database access.
- Standard libraries are one less thing you have to worry about when using Golang as they already contain all the code necessary for common tasks like reading input or writing output; so no extra coding required.
- The syntax is simple enough too with just basic statements being allowed without curly brackets in favor of go-routines. Allowing programmers to focus on what their real goal is the logic and not how it’s written down.
Disadvantages of GoLang
There are some security concerns with Golang. Since it’s not widely used in many organizations and because there are more bugs as well as less secure coding practices compared to other languages. This means that software developers need to take extra precautions when developing code for Golang-based applications.
Golang is not an easy language due to its minimalistic style which can make debugging difficult (not impossible). Dependencies need installing (unlike with Java) so there may be some limitations when working from home or public machines such as libraries you can’t find locally.
Conclusion
According to me GoLang is highly effective, fast and adds a massive value in complex applications. And since it's introduction, GoLang has gained popularity and got famousin many business giants, like Netflix, Uber, BBC, etc. With a steady growing user base, soon a majority of companies will need to switch to Golang.