In the last few years, web development has seen the noteworthy rise of a new programming language called Go (or GoLang). However, given the existence, and sufficiency of other programming languages such as Java and Python, you might find yourself asking why we need a new programming language like Go.
This article will hopefully provide answers to those questions and more.
The emergence of a new programming language does solve some limitations in modern-day computing. The use of software can be employed to tackle certain hardware limitations, as is seen in increasing the power capacity of a processor. The use of hardware solutions (such as transistors and cores) to tackle processor speed problems has resulted in different speed and additional cost issues. This alone makes the emergence of a new programming language and the possibilities it opens up much more exciting.
1. Creating A Multi-Threading Application
Instead of older-generation programming languages that use threads which make it quite challenging to create a multi-threading application, Go uses Goroutes instead of threads. Unlike older programming languages (Java, for example) which consumes a large amount of memory per thread (approximately 1MB), Goroutes consume less than 2KB of memory from the heap. This means that they will put less pressure on the stack. Reducing the possibility of a shutdown due to lack of memory. Go threads also:
- Use only the amount of memory needed
- Startup faster than threads
- Have safe communication channels (built-in-primitives)
- Eliminate the need to resort to mutex locking when sharing data structures
- Has the capacity to run on multiple threads.
Go manages concurrency (such as C and C ++ and Java) efficiently, keeps the concurrency execution code beautiful and well-executed throughout the process.
2. Go Increases Your Overall Performance
Unlike other JVM-based languages that have to translate your human-readable code into Byte code before it can be further converted into binaries, GoLang increases your overall performance by translating human-readable code directly into binaries. Processors speak in binary language, and by skipping one step in the translation process, Go significantly optimizes execution.
Go also uses Garbage collection and reference-counting algorithms to manage object allocation and removal.
3. Go Code Is Easy To Understand
Go utilizes a programming syntax that is tidy, orderly, and easy to understand. Since the creators of this programming language at Google had thousands of developers working on this project at the same time, their goal was to come up with a language that was easy to understand for every developer. With one segment of the language code having as minimal effect on another as possible. This makes GoLang much easier to maintain and modify than many other programming languages. Go uses:
- Structs In place of classes
- No code inheritance, meaning that you can easily make changes to code without the prospect of affecting other classes.
- Zero constructors
- Zero annotations
- No generics
- Zero exceptions
This makes the code clearer and easier to understand. Go keeps coding simple while maintaining an efficient performance and stable syntax.
4. Go Is Designed and Endorsed By Google
Notably, holding one of the largest and most advanced data centers globally, Google created Go to solve scalability and effectiveness issues. Go has also been adopted by some of the largest companies across various industries such as IBM, BBC, Intel, and Adobe.
Why Should I Develop In GoLang?
Ask many developers around. They will tell you that they choose to Go because it is an excellent tool for developing projects that require high speed, high security, and increased modularity. Additionally, the fact that you do not have to build a whole code of code is a bonus as needed in other programming languages.
Here are some reasons why you should start developing in GoLang immediately if you haven’t already:
- Time and cost-effective
- A flexible language; it can be used for both system and network programming, machine learning, big data, video editing, and more.
- Manages allocated memory efficiently
- Boosts performance by simplifying the interpretation process
- More flexible on system requirements; thus, people with older devices can better use and enjoy your product/service.
- Utilizes the full power of multiple cores and adequately uses the processor’s resources.
- Uses up less RAM and thus runs a lower risk of crashing
If all the benefits mentioned above do not want to make you ditch your older programming languages and give Go a try, then perhaps nothing else can. Go gives you the best features offered by multiple programming languages (such as high performance, efficient handling of concurrency, and a friendly interface) all in one place. It overcomes hardware limitations and helps you create better code that has a significantly positive impact on UX.