What is Go?

Go, also known as Golang, is an open-source, compiled, and statically typed programming language designed by Google. It is built to be simple, high-performing, readable, and efficient.

Golang came from the domain name of the Go official website, golang.org. Which is actually really helpful, because “Golang” is much more searchable than “Go” on Google. So it makes life a little easier for those who might be looking for information on the programming language.

The Go programming language was borne because things were getting much more complex in the codebases within Google. It was designed by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson, who all reportedly have a shared dislike for C++.

Go was announced to the public in 2009, and it was made open source in 2012 when its first version, 1.0, was released. Go quickly rose in popularity and became many developers’ first choice due to its simplicity, readability, efficiency, and concurrent nature. Concurrent means that it can run multiple tasks at the same time.

Go is used for server-side (backend) programming, game development, cloud-based programming, and even Data Science. It is also popular for making command-line tools.

Today, many tech giants use Go like Google, Netflix, Twitch, Ethereum, Dropbox, Kubernetes, Docker, Heroku, and lots more. There’s no surprise that the likes of Kubernetes, Docker, and Heroku are using Go because cloud-based programming is one of the main reasons why Go was designed.

Go has solid and easy-to-read documentation. You can read the documentation on the official website. Apart from documentation, Go also has a supportive and active community behind it, so you can always get help when you are stuck. The hashtag #golang is commonly used on Twitter, so in case you get stuck, you can tweet your question and attached the hashtag to it.

Go is a multipurpose programming language, meaning you can use it for a number of things such as web development, data science, cloud computing, and more. If you want to have a career in cloud-based programming, you should consider learning Go, because platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Kubernetes, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) all support Go.