Google’s Go language doesn’t need an introduction. This open-source cross-platform language, designed at Google, is getting very popular. Is it just because Google is associated with it? Or, does it offer something distinctive to the developers?
To answer this question, it is crucial to know the benefits and limitations of Golang. Let’s go!
Benefits of Golang
Golang has several benefits for the developers. Here is a summary of the crucial ones.
Easy to Learn
The most common concern for developers, before choosing the language for software development is the ease of learning the language. So many languages fail to make their mark because they are very difficult to learn. And, the difficulty comes with its time costs too. No one has the time to spend months learning one language.
When we are discussing Golang, we must remember that Golang was introduced in times when there were already so many powerful languages dominating the software development market. Often, the developers had to switch from one language to another, to identify that best fit for their needs.
However, each new language that the developers try comes with its own challenges. The main purpose of developing Golang was to mitigate this confusion around the choice of the right language. Golang was developed as a solution that makes it easier for the developers.
If you are a developer with a good understanding of algorithm & programming logic, it is generally not very difficult to learn any new programming language. But, learning languages such as Java and C# is very time-consuming. And seldom do the developers have so much spare time for trial and error.
In contrast, Golang is very easy to learn for programmers who have developed software using any other programming languages, and who understand the intricacies of programming.
Golang has a very easy learning curve, and almost in a day of starting, you can learn the basics of this language. To support you further, Golang has high-quality, yet simple documentation too.
Easy to Use
Golang is a minimalistic language. This lack of complexity might be a bit annoying to the highly experienced programmers, but is actually a boon for the majority.
Golang has a standard library which allows you to replace code cluster by a single line of code. This makes coding less cumbersome and better time efficient. It has some amazing libraries for database handling and encryption too.
And, Golang also allows concurrency like C++ and Java. Now, this is one aspect that the developers do want to leverage for complex applications. This is one of the reasons why Golang finds its applications in building the communication layer in IoT.
Looking further, Golang is statically typed. So, you can identify the type mismatch errors at compile time easily. This reduces the possibility of runtime errors. A language that makes debugging easier is preferred by the developers as it prevents a lot of hassles in complex projects.
Testing Tools
As developers, we all know that testing is a crucial part of software development. An application is useless if it fails to perform. And so, developers often base their selection of language on the availability of testing tools for that language.
Golang comes with inbuilt powerful testing tools that will help you manage the testing of almost all aspects of your application. It can help you generate code coverage reports and perform static code analysis.
Be it unit tests or integration tests, developers are finding Golang quite test-friendly.
Performance
Go has a Garbage Collector which leads to automatic and easy memory management. In fact, Golang is well known for its memory management capabilities that make the applications efficient.
Though some developers also complain of poor manual memory management capabilities in Golang, it does offer better performance of the applications built-in Golang.
Golang is almost as fast as C++ or Java and much faster compared to Python.
Frameworks & IDEs
A wide variety of frameworks support Golang; these include, Revel, Mango, Martini, etc. Since the language is simplistic, these frameworks are good with it.
Many developers who are accustomed to high-featured IDEs can’t switch over to a language that doesn’t allow them to use one of their favorite IDEs. And, obviously, a good IDE can make your development faster and more productive. With Golang there is a variety of IDEs to choose from. These include Gogland, GoClipse (Eclipse plugin for Go), LiteIDE, etc.
Limitations of Golang
Wait! Before you assume that it is all good with Golang, you must also see this list of limitations.
Building Applications for iOS
Well, I agree this is debatable, but I believe Golang is still not a very good language for building iOS applications. If you visit those troubleshooting forums, you will find developers struggling with the queries about iOS application development using Golang.
And, developers who want to use one language for both Android and iOS apps, should choose C# (on Xamarin) instead. Above all, you want the development to be free of hassles!
We expect that as Golang matures, there will be better solutions for iOS development as well.
Lack of Flexibility
This statically typed language offers less flexibility of coding, as per the opinion of those advocating dynamically typed languages.
Community Support
Most other popular languages have support from a huge community of developers worldwide. Golang, being comparatively new, has a narrow community compared to the other popular languages. But this limitation will be solved with time as the use of Golang increases.
Wrapping Up!
Every developer has his preferences. And, many using Python or Java are reluctant to switch over. Moreover, there are those patrons of C# or Java, who feel that it is not possible for Golang to replace languages as versatile as C# or Java.
But, the reluctance in using Golang is more often due to the fact that the developer has already invested months, or years in learning and mastering the more complex languages. Switching over to Golang would mean giving up expertise that has taken so much time and effort to develop.
Nevertheless, let’s admit that Golang has its limitations; and it is not flawless. So, only those developers who have used different languages are in a position to objectively compare Golang with the top programming languages. Plus, it depends on your specific requirements; for some requirements, Golang could suffice, but for the others, it won’t.
So, if you are an experienced developer who has also used Golang, do not forget to share your experiences with others.
