In the early stage of Go, we used Go for the development of tests in systems where concurrency was key.
Nowadays, Go applies a lot for crossplatform development, both at operating system level (Windows / Linux / Mac OS X) and architecture (i386, x86_64, ARM, PowerPC, ...)
The main benefits and differences with respect to other languages are:
- Crossplatform & crossdevice: As we mentioned before, an app in go can run anywhere. The best that is also allows cross-compilation just by changing a pair of flags. In version 1.11, the compilation for Web Assembly (WASM) has been included.
- Compiled, not interpreted: Binaries are generated, including the runtime of go (garbage collector, reflection, ...). This allows a quick and easy deployment and in rare occasions you have external dependencies. If the code is pure go, the binary is even static. Of course, binaries are usually heavy (10 MB average)
- Concurrency first: The concurrency is intrinsic in Go. In many languages, it is necessary to include libraries to add concurrency to your program (Pthreads in C / C ++ for example). To throw a thread in go, use the statement "go" (example
go sendEmailRecoverPassword(email)). For the communication in threads, the main mechanism used are the channels devised in C.S.P. by Carl Hoare (recognized as the best way to do concurrency). - Efficiency and effectiveness: The generation of code and execution is very well optimized. This allows you to run Go apps that take advantage of 100% low-power processors. A graphic example is the alternative to GitHub, gogs. If you compare it with the alternative GitLab CE (written in Ruby), gogs works perfectly in a Raspberry PI 3 while GitLab can not even start walking.
Use Cases
The features mentioned above make Go an ideal language to address the following types of projects
- Backend server and microservices: For backend where performance and scalability are key, go is ideal. Although it is very flexible it is not as much as Django framework, but there are libraries that add capabilities like ORM that allow a rapid development. Thanks to its ability to create concurrent programs, it also makes it ideal for developments using WebSockets, WebRTC, gRPC, etc.
- Firmware: For devices such as Raspberry PI or SoC ARM that allow running Linux, Go is a good solution for its efficiency and effectiveness, which allows the development of system programs that have web interfaces using an embedded http server.
- Testing tools: To test complex systems is ideal. Its access to interfaces and concurrency management allows the development of large testing applications.
Projects made with go
These are some of our latest projects that include developments in Go.
Probares
Platform that allows you to order and pay with your mobile in bars and restaurants.
The software installed in the POS is made with Go 1.11. It works on both GNU/Linux and Windows and communication with the backend is done through gRPC. Includes auto-installer to facilitate installation by managers.
Business Model Lab
Platform that converts your progress in video games to the development of soft skills.
The backend consists of a server in Go 1.11, API with gin-gonic and MongoDB as a database
Outbarriers
Platform with beacons that make visible the businesses for all, even, blind people.
The heaviest API part is now served with Go
