golang-patterns

Go Patterns

This skill provides comprehensive Go patterns extending common design principles with Go-specific idioms.

Functional Options

Use the functional options pattern for flexible constructor configuration:

type Option func(*Server)

func WithPort(port int) Option {
    return func(s *Server) { s.port = port }
}

func NewServer(opts ...Option) *Server {
    s := &Server{port: 8080}
    for _, opt := range opts {
        opt(s)
    }
    return s
}

Benefits:

• Backward compatible API evolution
• Optional parameters with defaults
• Self-documenting configuration

Small Interfaces

Define interfaces where they are used, not where they are implemented.

Principle: Accept interfaces, return structs

// Good: Small, focused interface defined at point of use
type UserStore interface {
    GetUser(id string) (*User, error)
}

func ProcessUser(store UserStore, id string) error {
    user, err := store.GetUser(id)
    // ...
}

Benefits:

• Easier testing and mocking
• Loose coupling
• Clear dependencies

Dependency Injection

Use constructor functions to inject dependencies:

func NewUserService(repo UserRepository, logger Logger) *UserService {
    return &UserService{
        repo:   repo,
        logger: logger,
    }
}

Pattern:

• Constructor functions (New* prefix)
• Explicit dependencies as parameters
• Return concrete types
• Validate dependencies in constructor

Concurrency Patterns

Worker Pool

func workerPool(jobs <-chan Job, results chan<- Result, workers int) {
    var wg sync.WaitGroup
    for i := 0; i < workers; i++ {
        wg.Add(1)
        go func() {
            defer wg.Done()
            for job := range jobs {
                results <- processJob(job)
            }
        }()
    }
    wg.Wait()
    close(results)
}

Context Propagation

Always pass context as first parameter:

func FetchUser(ctx context.Context, id string) (*User, error) {
    // Check context cancellation
    select {
    case <-ctx.Done():
        return nil, ctx.Err()
    default:
    }
    // ... fetch logic
}

Error Handling

Error Wrapping

if err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("failed to fetch user %s: %w", id, err)
}

Custom Errors

type ValidationError struct {
    Field string
    Msg   string
}

func (e *ValidationError) Error() string {
    return fmt.Sprintf("%s: %s", e.Field, e.Msg)
}

Sentinel Errors

var (
    ErrNotFound = errors.New("not found")
    ErrInvalid  = errors.New("invalid input")
)

// Check with errors.Is
if errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound) {
    // handle not found
}

Package Organization

Structure

project/
├── cmd/              # Main applications
│   └── server/
│       └── main.go
├── internal/         # Private application code
│   ├── domain/       # Business logic
│   ├── handler/      # HTTP handlers
│   └── repository/   # Data access
└── pkg/              # Public libraries

Naming Conventions

• Package names: lowercase, single word
• Avoid stutter: user.User not user.UserModel
• Use internal/ for private code
• Keep main package minimal

Testing Patterns

Table-Driven Tests

func TestValidate(t *testing.T) {
    tests := []struct {
        name    string
        input   string
        wantErr bool
    }{
        {"valid", "test@example.com", false},
        {"invalid", "not-an-email", true},
    }

    for _, tt := range tests {
        t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            err := Validate(tt.input)
            if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
                t.Errorf("got error %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
            }
        })
    }
}

Test Helpers

func testDB(t *testing.T) *sql.DB {
    t.Helper()
    db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", ":memory:")
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("failed to open test db: %v", err)
    }
    t.Cleanup(func() { db.Close() })
    return db
}

When to Use This Skill

• Designing Go APIs and packages
• Implementing concurrent systems
• Structuring Go projects
• Writing idiomatic Go code
• Refactoring Go codebases