Go, commonly known as Golang, is an open-source programming language developed by Google in 2007. It was created with the vision of being a simple, efficient, and highly scalable language, making it an excellent choice for a wide range of applications. Golang combines the productivity of high-level languages with the performance and low-level control of languages like C or C++.

Why GO?

Golang was designed to address the challenges faced by developers when working with large-scale distributed systems. Its key features are tailored to make concurrency easier to manage, which is vital for building efficient software in modern computing environments.

Here are some reasons why Golang stands out among programming languages:

1. Concurrency Model: Golang’s concurrency model is based on Goroutines and Channels. Goroutines are lightweight, independent units of execution, allowing developers to easily handle concurrent tasks. Channels facilitate communication and synchronization between Goroutines, simplifying complex concurrent programming.

2. Compiled Language: Golang is a compiled language, meaning the code is converted into machine code before execution. This results in faster performance and allows Golang applications to be easily deployed across various platforms.

3. Efficient Garbage Collector: Golang’s Garbage Collector manages memory automatically, reducing developers' burden to manually handle memory management. This results in safer and more robust code.

4. Static Typing: Golang is statically typed, ensuring that type errors are caught during compilation rather than at runtime. This helps in catching bugs early and improves code reliability.

5. Rich Standard Library: Golang has a comprehensive standard library that includes packages for common tasks, such as working with strings, files, networking, etc. This allows developers to build powerful applications without relying heavily on external dependencies.

Getting Started with Golang

Now that you can glimpse Golang’s strengths, let’s kickstart your journey by setting up the environment and writing your first program.

Installation

Go is designed to be straightforward to install on various operating systems. Here’s how you can get started with installing Go on different platforms:

• Installing Go on Windows:

  • Visit the official Go downloads page and download the Windows installer (msi file).

  • Run the installer and follow the prompts. By default, Go will be installed in C:\Go.

  • After installation, open a new command prompt and verify the installation by typing: go version
    You should see the installed Go version displayed.

• Installing Go on macOS:

  • For macOS, you can use Homebrew to install Go. Open a terminal and run: brew install go

  • Alternatively, you can download the macOS package installer from the official Go downloads page and follow the installation instructions.

  • After installation, open a terminal and verify the installation by typing: go version
    You should see the installed Go version displayed.

Hello, World!

Once Golang is installed, it’s time to write your first Golang program, the traditional “Hello, World!”. Open your favourite editor. If you don't have one, you can download and install VSCode here. Create a new file named hello.go and open it in your IDE. Copy the text from the code box below and paste it into your file.

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Println("Hello, World!")
}

Open a terminal, navigate to the directory containing the file, and run the following command: go run hello.go
You should see the output: Hello, World!

Congratulations! You’ve just written and executed your first Golang program 🎉🎉🎉

Next Steps

Now that you have successfully written your first Golang program, you can begin exploring the language further.

In the upcoming articles on this blog series, we will explore more Golang topics, including advanced concurrency, web development, testing, and more. Stay tuned for the next instalment, and happy coding with Golang!