Go’s concurrency model is its killer feature. Goroutines are lightweight; channels communicate between them.

Goroutines

  go func() {
    fmt.Println("async")
}()

go process(data)
  

Channels

  ch := make(chan int, 10)  // buffered
go func() { ch <- 42 }()
val := <-ch

close(ch)
for v := range ch { fmt.Println(v) }
  

Select

  select {
case msg := <-ch1:
    fmt.Println(msg)
case ch2 <- value:
    fmt.Println("sent")
case <-time.After(time.Second):
    fmt.Println("timeout")
}
  

WaitGroup

  var wg sync.WaitGroup
for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
    wg.Add(1)
    go func(id int) {
        defer wg.Done()
        work(id)
    }(i)
}
wg.Wait()
  

Mutex

  var mu sync.Mutex
var count int

mu.Lock()
count++
mu.Unlock()
  

Common Pitfalls

  • Ignoring returned errors in Go or fighting the borrow checker in Rust.
  • Premature optimization before profiling.
  • Skipping tests for concurrent and error paths.
  • Not reading standard library documentation.

Best Practices

  • Follow language idioms (Go: explicit errors; Rust: ownership).
  • Write table-driven tests.
  • Use go fmt / cargo fmt consistently.
  • Keep functions small and focused.

Memory and Performance Notes

Default GOMAXPROCS = NumCPU. Goroutine stack starts at 2KB, grows as needed.

Exercise

Implement worker pool: N goroutines reading jobs from channel, writing results to output channel.

Hint: Always pass loop variable as parameter to goroutine closure.

Summary

Practice these concepts in small programs before building production services.

Debugging Checklist

  1. Read the full error message.
  2. Reduce to minimal reproduction.
  3. Check types and return values.
  4. Add logging at decision points.
  5. Write a test that catches the bug.

Real-World Application

Production services combine these fundamentals with logging, metrics, and graceful degradation.

Further Reading

Official language documentation, effective guides, and mature open-source projects.

Additional Examples

Consider how this topic applies in a larger project:

  // Break the problem into smaller functions
// Test each function independently
// Integrate incrementally
  

Working through variations of the examples above builds deeper understanding than reading alone.

Interview and Review Questions

  1. Explain the core concept of this topic in your own words.
  2. What happens when this code runs with edge-case input (empty, null, zero, max value)?
  3. How would you debug a bug related to this topic in production?
  4. What are the performance implications of the approach shown here?
  5. How does this feature compare to the equivalent in another language you know?

Review adjacent pages in the learning path before and after this one. Concepts build on each other — skipping ahead often leads to confusion when later pages assume mastery of earlier material.

Return to the section index if you need to fill gaps in prerequisite knowledge.