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Core Language

The syntax and semantics that form the foundation of every Go program. If you're coming from another language, start here to understand how Go does things differently.


# Topic What You'll Learn Level
1 Variables, Constants & Data Types var, :=, const, iota, zero values, type system Beginner
2 Operators & Expressions Arithmetic, comparison, logical, bitwise, no ternary operator Beginner
3 Control Flow if, switch, for, range -- Go's minimal flow control Beginner
4 Functions Multiple returns, variadic args, named returns, first-class functions Beginner
5 Strings, Runes & UTF-8 Immutable byte slices, Unicode handling, strings.Builder Beginner
6 Pointers &, *, nil, no pointer arithmetic, value vs pointer semantics Beginner
7 Packages & Imports Visibility (capital letter rule), internal/, standard library Beginner
8 Error Handling Basics error interface, if err != nil, sentinel errors Beginner
9 Init Functions Package initialization order, blank imports, init() vs constructors Intermediate

Interview Quick Hits

  • Go has no ternary operator, no while loop, and no exceptions
  • Zero values mean every variable is usable without explicit initialization
  • The capital letter export rule is enforced by the compiler
  • if err != nil is the most debated and most important Go pattern