go-idioms

name	go-idioms
description	Idiomatic Go patterns for errors, interfaces, concurrency, and packages. Use when: - Writing or reviewing Go code - Designing interfaces or package structure - Implementing concurrency patterns - Handling errors and context propagation - Structuring Go projects Keywords: Go, golang, error wrapping, interface design, goroutine, channel, context, package design, dependency injection, race condition

Go Idioms

Boring, explicit, race-safe Go. Accept interfaces, return structs.

Error Handling

Always wrap with context at package boundaries:

// Use %w to preserve error chain
return fmt.Errorf("fetching user %s: %w", userID, err)

// Check wrapped errors
if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) { ... }

var paymentErr *PaymentError
if errors.As(err, &paymentErr) { ... }

Never: %v (loses type), raw errors from exported functions, generic context.

Interface Design

Define interfaces in consuming package, not provider:

// notification/sender.go (consumer defines interface)
type EmailSender interface {
    Send(ctx context.Context, to, subject, body string) error
}

// email/client.go (provider implements)
type Client struct { ... }
func (c *Client) Send(ctx context.Context, to, subject, body string) error { ... }

Small interfaces (1-3 methods). Compose larger from smaller:

type Reader interface { Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) }
type Writer interface { Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) }
type ReadWriter interface { Reader; Writer }

Compile-time verification:

var _ EmailSender = (*Client)(nil)

Concurrency

Always propagate context:

func FetchData(ctx context.Context) ([]byte, error) {
    select {
    case <-ctx.Done():
        return nil, ctx.Err()
    case result := <-dataChan:
        return result, nil
    }
}

Bounded concurrency (semaphore):

sem := make(chan struct{}, 10)
for _, item := range items {
    sem <- struct{}{}
    go func(item Item) {
        defer func() { <-sem }()
        process(item)
    }(item)
}

Race safety: Always run go test -race ./...

Package Design

internal/
  user/          # Domain: single purpose
    user.go
    service.go
    repository.go
  order/         # Another domain
  app/           # Dependency wiring
cmd/
  api/           # Entry points

Rules:

• Single purpose per package
• No generic names (utils, helpers, common)
• No circular dependencies
• Export only what's necessary

Dependency Injection

// Constructor accepts interfaces
func NewUserService(repo UserRepository, mailer EmailSender) *UserService {
    return &UserService{repo: repo, mailer: mailer}
}

// Wire in app/ package
func NewApp() *App {
    repo := postgres.NewUserRepo(db)
    mailer := sendgrid.NewClient(apiKey)
    userSvc := user.NewUserService(repo, mailer)
    return &App{UserService: userSvc}
}

Anti-Patterns

• Goroutines without cancellation path (leaks)
• Monolithic interfaces (10+ methods)
• Framework-like inheritance patterns
• Reflection when explicit types work
• Global singletons for dependencies
• Generic everything (overuse of generics)
• interface{} / any without justification

Embrace Boring

• Explicit error handling at each step
• Standard library first (map, []T, sort.Slice)
• Table-driven tests
• Struct composition, not inheritance
• Clear, verbose code over clever code