What is Golang? Advantages and Disadvantage of Go
Why should tech business founders choose Golang after years of sticking to traditional programming languages? This is one of the hottest questions entrepreneurs will ask over time, as the Go language is gaining more attention.
Moving to a new programming language will require resources, education, and perhaps hiring skilled programmers with the new language. It also means discarding the works that have been completed on previous platforms.
With internet speeds growing steadily, companies are pressured to provide an improved and faster application experience. In the day of multicore processors and the high-speed broadband network, Go was brought into the spotlight with promises of developing exponentially quicker apps.
As a business owner, you should know the hype around Go and why engineers are so excited about it.
What is Go?
The first version was released in 2009. Go was an open-source programing language created by a group at Google and the efforts of other collaborators. Its goal is to make software development easier, especially for complicated structures and processes.
Go soon gained astonishing popularity and has since become one of the top contemporary programming languages.
Golang language promises code efficiency and speed, which results in quicker software and apps for businesses. Companies that recognize the importance of having an effective remote code have embraced Golang as their preferred programming language preferred. Here are some businesses that have switched to Golang:
- Apple
- Docker
- The New York Times
- BBC
Instead of starting from the ground up, Go was developed based on the C language. Golang takes the structured syntax of C but with certain modifications and features which allow developers to manage memory effectively. This helps eradicate the notorious memory leakage issues if programmers don’t release unneeded memory in error.
What is the Golang used for?
Go was initially designed for applications related to infrastructure and networking. It was designed to replace high-performance server-side languages such as Java or C++. At present, Go is used for various applications.
- Go is a popular cloud-based application or server-side app.
- DevOps and website reliability automation are two other well-known ways to utilize Go.
- A lot of command-line tools have been written in Go.
- Go is used in the field of artificial intelligence and data science.
- A few games are made using micro-controller programming, robotics, and fun.
Yet, Go shines the most in the area of infrastructure. Go’s most well-known infrastructure tools are currently written, including Kubernetes, Docker, and Prometheus.
Advantages of Golang?
Here are some arguments for why Golang is more profitable than other programming languages.
Golang Is Fast
Golang is capable of compiling directly to machine code without using an interpreter. As a result, development is accelerated because no intermediary steps are required. Golang is always one step ahead of Java when it comes to execution speed. Golang-based programs are lightning-fast, and compilation is also quicker. To satisfy the demands of speedier back-end development, developers prefer to use Golang.
Golang Is Easy To Learn
Another reason to use Golang is that it is easy to master. Go is simple for software developers, especially those who already have a solid understanding of C and Java. Although the syntax and keywords might differ slightly, Go has the same procedure that developers would quickly become familiar with.
Golang Is Well-Scaled
One of the primary reasons you should consider using Golang is its capacity to support concurrent programming. Go language has Goroutines, which are functions that can run simultaneously and independently.
Goroutines occupy just 2 KB of memory, making them adaptable when several concurrent processes are required to run. Contrary to Java threads that block because of their nature, the Goroutines are not blocking by. Goroutines combines an async method utilized by JavaScript and the traditional multi-threading employed by Java.
Golang’s Goroutines are the exact opposite of what Java’s thread does: a heavyweight that eats up memory. It is technically possible to operate thousands of GoRoutines without the risk of crashing your system. Running a more compact and efficient software can give you an edge over your rivals.
Comprehensive Programming Tools
Newer programming languages frequently lack development tools. This is not the case with Golang, however. True, Go lacks the breadth of third-party tools similar to Java provides. However, Go includes comprehensive tools that make coding simple for developers. Go has IDEs like Visual Studio Code and others often used for programming.
There are a variety of editors, IDEs, and plug-ins available to download from the GitHub repository for Go. A handful of cloud-based IDEs which support Go can also be downloaded.
Growing Pool Of Talent
According to Hired Go, it is the most in-demand programming language globally. Companies are becoming aware of the advantages Golang could be for their business, and developers are brushing their Golang skills in large numbers.
Using Golang as part of the software plan is getting access to a pool of talent that is bound to grow over time. It’s likely to choose a developer who’s familiar with Go.
Refer to a top-rated hiring platform for freelance Golang developers: Toptal
Disadvantages to Golang?
Despite the increasing popularity of Go, however, it’s not the ideal programming language. However, there is no perfect programming language. Here are some disadvantages you need to think about before using Go.
Time Consuming
Golang isn’t quite as descriptive as Python because the former is a purely written language. A programmer might need to code hundreds of lines to perform the same task, but it could be accomplished using a few lines in Python.
When creating their software, the lengthy-time spent programming can deter teams from working against time-bound deadlines.
It’s A Young Language
Even though it is celebrating its 10th birthday, Golang is still a relatively new language. People who are just beginning to learn Golang might have difficulty with the existing libraries, particularly if they’re connecting to other platforms. The absence of an SDK for third user interfaces means that the team is tasked with writing additional code to connect multiple programs.
Golang isn’t able to support generic functions.
The term “function” refers to a section of code that accepts input, processes it, and returns an output. However, generic functions are collections of functions with the same name with different input types at compile time.
In the absence of support for generic functions, developers have to develop multiple processes that manage different types of parameters. Similar to C, which Golang is built on, the absence of generic parts can seriously limit code reusability and lower development efficiency.
Golang aids engineers in the field of software to an extent in creating without interfaces. But there is an upper limit to the effectiveness of Golang since there are some areas of development Golang isn’t built for, and languages such as Python are more suitable. This is the reason why it’s not recommended to make use of Golang in this instance.
For what projects Do You Need to Use Golang?
There are always trade-offs in any programming language, and Golang is not any different. The speed and simplicity of execution of code written in Golang require more effort to create when compared to scripting languages such as Python.
It’s undisputed that Go is an exciting language. However, it’s still incapable of building any application at its early age. The main reason Google developed Golang is to address problems with scalability in software, which is a problem caused by hardware. Go can be useful when employed to solve bottlenecks in processing speed.
Typically, late-stage companies with expanding users are likely to face challenges in the back-end, struggling to handle the increasing volume of activity. Golang supports concurrency functions and its small memory footprint, making it an ideal choice for back-end applications that take a lot of demand.
Dropbox is a cloud-based storage sharing service that uses Golang to effectively manage over 500 million users. It is also an ideal language for creating e-commerce websites that can handle millions of transactions every month. Golang is also a resource-intense language that powers services such as Docker, Terraform, and Kubernetes.
Utilizing Go isn’t something you’ll need to learn in the case of a business that is testing its idea. It’s not the ideal way to rapidly create a demonstration for investors. The time required to develop the code should be spent in other areas where start-ups are in the early stages. But, it would be best if you considered moving to Go if your current code is too big and affecting the user experience.
What is the right time to move your Project to Golang?
Being a young start-up, you must quickly get your products to the market. With well-crafted marketing strategies, it’s just a matter of time until the significant number of users makes it necessary to consider using Golang or risking a negative user experience.
Netflix is expanding its global reach and has changed its Rend service, responsible for managing connections in Go. Uber has also tapped into the power using Golang to develop their geofence-related microservice that improves the speed of service delivery.
If you’re considering offering services on-demand or adding features for e-commerce to your current company, switching to Golang is an excellent option. When you decide to utilize Go, you’ll be able to avoid the performance limitations that often plague the thread-based languages of programming.
As software expands as new functions are introduced, developers might have difficulty understanding the code written earlier by the programmers. These issues could lead to more time spent on troubleshooting and maintaining. Salesforce is anticipating the possibility of being unable to read and switching into Golang to run its Einstein Analytics.
The main reason to migrate to Golang is that it should be completed if you’re expecting the growth of service requirements which will disrupt the capacity of your infrastructure. Golang is an excellent choice for businesses with predictable growth and relies on fast response times from servers.
Summary
It’s been quite a while since the developer community was excited about a brand-new programming language. Golang is a fantastic initiative of Google that is expected to help businesses across various sectors. Making the switch to Golang could be crucial in determining your software strategy and delivery in the future.