Go is a compiled language — the code is converted into machine‑readable form before execution.
From a beginner’s perspective, this means Go catches many errors during compilation, giving you cleaner, faster, and more predictable performance at runtime.
Go is widely used for:
API development
CLI tools
Microservices architecture
Backend server.
DEVOPS activity
So it fits perfectly with the kind of backend and service‑oriented work I’m doing.
Scripts in Perl, then bash, then python. In Python, distribution needs some work, to package all the dependencies.
Go language gives a complete binary file. Builds all the code, packages all the dependencies and make as a single binary file.
awesome-go-cli , gotify.net – these sites give many command line tools. download for your OS, just execute that binary.
Starting With the Classic: “Hello, World!”
Like any programming journey, mine begins with the traditional Hello World program — this time in Go.
Before writing code, we need to install Go.
Installing Go
On Linux: download the Go binary package and extract it — the version gets installed automatically.
On Windows (my setup): download the .exe installer. It sets up Go and updates environment variables automatically.
Checking the Go Version
I first tried:
go --version
It didn’t work.
But this one did:
go version
That confirmed my installation.
Setting Up the Editor
I’m using VS Code, since I’m already comfortable with it.
Just create a folder, add a .go file, and you’re ready to write your first program.
Simple Go “Hello World” Program
hello.go
package main
import "fmt"
// fmt -> format package
// this file belongs to the main package
func main() {
fmt.Println("Hello world\n")
fmt.Print("JTest\n")
name := "Jtest"
age := 23
fmt.Printf("name: %s, age: %d \n", name, age)
// another way of declaring variables
var name1 string = "test"
var age1 int = 10
fmt.Printf("name1: %s, age1: %d \n", name1, age1)
}
Key Basics You Should Know
How to run a Go program
go run hello.go
How to build a Go program
go build hello.go
This generates an executable file (.exe on Windows).
Print statements are case‑sensitive
Print, Println, Printf — the P must be capital.
Use double quotes
Go does not accept single quotes for strings.
Braces must be on the same line as the function name
Moving { to the next line causes an error.
Variables cannot be redeclared
Declaring the same variable twice will throw an error.
After building, I tested the generated hello.exe by running it from the command prompt — and it worked perfectly.
A special thanks to Jafar for guiding us through the initial setup and concepts.