Go is a programming language created in 2007 at Google by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson. It is sometimes referred to as Golang. Its development was initiated to simplify coding as the codebase was getting complex, and its creators shared a dislike for C++. Go was first released in 2009 and became open-source in 2012. Today, it is widely used by companies and developers.
Go is a versatile programming language that finds its application in various software development fields:
Backend development: Go is a great language for backend development, as it is fast, efficient, and has built-in support for concurrency. This makes it a popular choice for companies building high-performance backend systems, such as web servers, APIs, and microservices.
DevOps tools: Go is also well-suited for building tools used in DevOps, such as command-line interfaces, automation scripts, and monitoring systems. This is because Go has a small footprint, compiles quickly, and produces static binaries that can be easily deployed.
Distributed systems: Go's support for concurrency and its built-in features for network programming make it a great choice for building distributed systems, such as data processing pipelines, message brokers, and distributed databases.
Machine learning and data science: While not as popular as other languages like Python, Go can be used for machine learning and data science projects. Go has packages for linear algebra, statistics, and numerical computing, making it possible to build simple machine learning models and data analysis tools.
Mobile app development: Go can also be used for mobile app development, thanks to the Go Mobile project, which allows developers to write native Android and iOS apps using Go.
The popularity of Go is attributed to its simplicity, readability, efficiency, and concurrent nature. Go is fast because it is a compiled language that directly translates code into a format that a processor can understand. It is also highly scalable and supports concurrency. Go's growing popularity has led to an abundance of comprehensive programming tools, enriching the resources available to developers. Many enterprises are choosing Go due to the growing talent pool, and many developers are starting to learn it for its numerous benefits.
Here are the names of companies that use Go to power their software and services: Google, Ethereum, PayPal, American Express, Mercado Libre, Bitly, Capital One, Netflix, Dropbox, Cloudflare, Twitter, Uber, Twitch, Microsoft, Wild Life, Riot Games, Meta, and so many more. This proves how popular Go is and how it can benefit companies of all sizes. If you're interested in incorporating Go into your project, please get in touch with our expert consultants to learn more about how that can happen!
Allegro uses Go to write a speedy cache service with millions of entries, and American Express uses it to increase speed and scalability for payment and rewards. Armut Labs reduced resource consumption and API response time when switching to Go. Dropbox changed to Go for better concurrency support and faster execution speed. Bitly writes everything in Go, and Microsoft uses Go to power pieces of its cloud infrastructure. To learn more about how Go can benefit your business specifically, consult with us!
Go is very young compared to other languages and doesn't (yet) support generic functions. Since Go is not as descriptive as Python, it is simple but time-consuming. The Go developer may need to write more code to achieve a similar function using a different programming language. Despite these drawbacks, Go is growing in its functionality and talent pool. Many developers are picking up Go and optimizing its practicality. Dirox offers these talents for hire who can significantly benefit you. Please get in touch for more information!
Go is statically typed, which ensures conversions and compatibility while avoiding run-type errors and difficulty debugging. It is also a compiled language making the language run faster and perform better than the interpreted languages. Compiled languages help with debugging, making the whole development process smoother. Go is also concurrent and designed to run on multiple cores making for efficient dependency management.
