Go Cheat Sheet

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A searchable, printable Go reference — structs, slices, maps, interfaces, error wrapping, goroutines, channels, generics and the go CLI. Free.

Basics

package main

Executable entry package

import ("fmt"; "os")

Import standard packages

x := 42

Short declare (inside funcs only)

var s string

Zero value: "" (0, nil, false)

const MaxRetries = 3

Typed or untyped constant

const (A = iota; B; C)

Auto-incrementing enum values

a, b = b, a

Multiple assignment / swap

_, err := doWork()

Blank identifier discards values

fmt.Println("hi"); fmt.Printf("%v\n", x)

Print values (%v = default)

fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d", name, id)

Format into a string

Types, structs & methods

type User struct { Name string; Age int }

Struct definition

u := User{Name: "Sam", Age: 30}

Struct literal (named fields)

u.Name = "Alex"

Field access / mutation

func (u User) Label() string

Value receiver (reads only)

func (u *User) Rename(n string)

Pointer receiver (mutates)

func NewUser(n string) *User

Constructor function idiom

type Admin struct { User; Level int }

Embedding: fields promoted

type UserID int

Named type (own method set)

Name string `json:"name,omitempty"`

Struct tag for encoding

p := &User{}; p.Name = "x"

Auto-deref through pointers

Slices & maps

s := []int{1, 2, 3}

Slice literal

s = make([]int, 0, 10)

Empty slice with capacity 10

s = append(s, 4, 5)

Append (reassign the result)

n := copy(dst, src)

Copy elements between slices

s[1:3]

Sub-slice (shares the array)

len(s), cap(s)

Length and capacity

var s []int; s = append(s, 1)

Appending to nil is fine

m := map[string]int{"a": 1}

Map literal

v, ok := m["key"]

Lookup with existence check

delete(m, "key")

Remove a key

for k, v := range m { ... }

Iterate (order is random)

slices.Contains(s, 3)

Search helper (Go 1.21+)

slices.Sort(s); maps.Keys(m)

slices / maps packages

Control flow

for i := 0; i < n; i++ { ... }

Classic for (the only loop)

for i, v := range items { ... }

Index + value iteration

for cond { ... }

While-style loop

for { ... }

Infinite loop (break to exit)

for i := range 10 { ... }

Range over int (Go 1.22+)

if err := load(); err != nil { ... }

If with init statement

switch status { case "on": ... default: ... }

No fallthrough by default

switch { case n > 10: ... }

Condition-less switch chain

switch v := x.(type) { case int: ... }

Type switch

outer: for { break outer }

Labeled break / continue

Functions & defer

func add(a, b int) int { return a + b }

Basic function

func load() ([]byte, error)

Multiple return values

func div(a, b int) (q int, err error)

Named return values

func sum(ns ...int) int

Variadic; call sum(s...)

defer f.Close()

Run at function exit

defer mu.Unlock() // LIFO order

Multiple defers run in reverse

counter := func() int { n++; return n }

Closure captures variables

type Handler func(w, r)

Function type declaration

apply(items, strings.ToUpper)

Functions are first-class values

Interfaces & type assertions

type Stringer interface { String() string }

Interface: a method set

// no "implements" keyword

Satisfaction is implicit

io.Reader / io.Writer

The ubiquitous stream duo

var x any = 42

any = interface{} (anything)

s, ok := x.(string)

Type assertion (safe form)

switch v := x.(type) { case string: ... }

Branch by dynamic type

type ReadCloser interface { Reader; Closer }

Interface embedding

func Save(w io.Writer, u User) error

Accept interfaces...

func NewStore() *Store

...return concrete structs

var _ Stringer = (*User)(nil)

Compile-time conformance check

Error handling

if err != nil { return err }

The fundamental pattern

errors.New("not found")

Simple error value

fmt.Errorf("load %s: %w", path, err)

Wrap with context (%w)

errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist)

Match a sentinel in the chain

var pe *fs.PathError; errors.As(err, &pe)

Extract a typed error

var ErrNotFound = errors.New("not found")

Exported sentinel error

func (e *ValidationError) Error() string

Custom error type

errors.Join(err1, err2)

Combine multiple errors

defer func() { recover() }()

Recover from a panic

panic("unreachable")

Only for programmer errors

Goroutines & channels

go work()

Start a goroutine

ch := make(chan int)

Unbuffered (synchronous) channel

ch := make(chan int, 10)

Buffered channel

ch <- v / v := <-ch

Send / receive

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

Drain until closed

select { case v := <-a: ... case b <- x: ... }

Wait on multiple channels

var wg sync.WaitGroup; wg.Add(1); wg.Wait()

Wait for goroutines

defer wg.Done()

Signal completion

for job := range jobs { results <- run(job) }

Worker pool body

ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 5*time.Second)

Deadline for downstream work

select { case <-ctx.Done(): return ctx.Err() }

Abort on cancellation

var mu sync.Mutex; mu.Lock(); defer mu.Unlock()

Guard shared state

Generics

func Map[T, U any](s []T, f func(T) U) []U

Generic function

func Keys[K comparable, V any](m map[K]V) []K

comparable: map-key types

type Number interface { ~int | ~float64 }

Union constraint (~ = derived)

func Sum[T Number](ns []T) T

Use a custom constraint

type Stack[T any] struct { items []T }

Generic type

s := Stack[int]{}

Explicit instantiation

doubled := Map(nums, double)

Type args usually inferred

func Min[T cmp.Ordered](a, b T) T

cmp.Ordered: < > comparable

min(a, b), max(a, b)

Builtins since Go 1.21

Standard library gems

strings.Split(s, ","); strings.Join(parts, "-")

Split and join

strings.Contains, HasPrefix, TrimSpace

Everyday string helpers

n, err := strconv.Atoi("42")

String → int (Itoa reverses)

time.Now(); time.Since(start)

Current time and elapsed

t.Format("2006-01-02 15:04")

Reference-date layout

time.Sleep(200 * time.Millisecond)

Pause the goroutine

data, err := os.ReadFile("cfg.json")

Read a whole file

os.WriteFile(path, data, 0o644)

Write a file with perms

os.Getenv("HOME"); filepath.Join(dir, f)

Env vars and safe paths

json.Marshal(v); json.Unmarshal(b, &v)

JSON encode / decode

resp, err := http.Get(url); defer resp.Body.Close()

HTTP client call

http.HandleFunc("/", h); http.ListenAndServe(":8080", nil)

Minimal HTTP server

slog.Info("started", "port", 8080)

Structured logging (1.21+)

sc := bufio.NewScanner(f); for sc.Scan()

Read input line by line

Testing & benchmarks

func TestAdd(t *testing.T) { ... }

Test in *_test.go

t.Errorf("got %d, want %d", got, want)

Fail but keep running

t.Fatalf("setup failed: %v", err)

Fail and stop this test

tests := []struct{ in, want int }{...}

Table-driven test data

t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {...})

Named subtests

t.Helper()

Blame the caller in failures

t.Parallel()

Run this test concurrently

func BenchmarkAdd(b *testing.B) { for range b.N { add(1, 2) } }

Benchmark loop

go test -bench=. -benchmem

Run benchmarks + allocations

go test -run TestAdd ./...

Run tests matching a pattern

go test -cover ./...

Coverage summary

Go CLI

go mod init example.com/app

Start a new module

go mod tidy

Sync go.mod with imports

go get github.com/pkg/x@latest

Add / upgrade a dependency

go run .

Compile and run in one step

go build ./...

Build all packages

go test ./...

Test the whole module

go vet ./...

Static analysis for bugs

gofmt -w .

Format all source files

go install golang.org/x/tools/...@latest

Install a tool binary

GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build

Cross-compile

go doc strings.Split

Read docs in the terminal

No entry matches “:q”.

About Go Cheat Sheet

This Go cheat sheet condenses idiomatic Go into one searchable page: basics, types, structs and methods, slices and maps, control flow, functions and defer, interfaces and type assertions, error handling, goroutines and channels, generics, standard library gems, testing and benchmarks, and the go command line.

It focuses on the things Go developers look up rather than memorize — the exact slice trick to delete an element, how errors.Is and errors.As differ, the select statement with a timeout, a table-driven test, or which go command runs what — with a short explanation on every row.

The sheet is free and client-side: filter rows live with the search box, hop between sections with the sticky table of contents, copy any snippet with one click and print the page for reference while you code.

How to use Go Cheat Sheet

Skim the sections, from Basics and Slices & maps through Goroutines & channels to the Go CLI.
Search for a keyword such as channel, defer or errors.Is to filter every row live.
Jump to Interfaces or Generics when you need the type syntax rather than a command.
Click a snippet or its copy icon to copy the Go code to your clipboard.
Print the sheet for an offline Go reference.

Frequently asked questions

Twelve sections: basics, types and structs, slices and maps, control flow, functions and defer, interfaces and type assertions, error handling, goroutines and channels, generics, standard library highlights, testing and benchmarks, and the go CLI.

Yes. A dedicated section covers goroutines, buffered and unbuffered channels, select with timeouts, WaitGroup, Mutex and context cancellation.

It does — type parameters, constraints, the comparable and any constraints, and generic functions and types each get their own rows.

Yes. Click any snippet or its hover copy icon and it lands on your clipboard with a brief confirmation.

Yes, completely free — searchable, printable and rendered in your browser with no sign-up.

Go Cheat Sheet

Basics

Types, structs & methods

Slices & maps

Control flow

Functions & defer

Interfaces & type assertions

Error handling

Goroutines & channels

Generics

Standard library gems

Testing & benchmarks

Go CLI

About Go Cheat Sheet

How to use Go Cheat Sheet

Frequently asked questions

What does the Go cheat sheet include?

Does it cover concurrency?

Does it include generics?

Can I copy code with one click?

Is the Go reference free?

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