In an interview for a Go (Golang) developer position, you can expect questions that delve deep into the language's core features and idioms. Here are some key points and potential questions an interviewer might ask:
1. Concurrency
- Goroutines:
- How do goroutines work in Go?
- What happens if a goroutine panics? How can you handle it?
- Can you explain how to manage goroutines to avoid memory leaks or excessive resource usage?
- Channels:
- How do channels facilitate communication between goroutines? Can you provide an example?
- What is the difference between buffered and unbuffered channels? When would you use each?
- How would you implement a worker pool using goroutines and channels?
- Explain the concept of channel direction and how it’s used in Go.
- How do you handle channel closing, and what are the implications of closing a channel?
2. HTTP Operations
- HTTP Servers:
- How do you set up an HTTP server in Go?
- Can you describe how to handle different HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) in Go?
- How do you handle request context and cancellation in an HTTP server?
- HTTP Clients:
- How do you perform HTTP requests in Go using the
net/http
package? - How would you handle timeouts and retries when making HTTP requests?
- Can you explain how to manage cookies, headers, and authentication in HTTP requests?
- How do you perform HTTP requests in Go using the
3. Channels
- Channel Operations:
- How do you use
select
with channels in Go? Can you provide an example? - What are common pitfalls when working with channels?
- Explain how to use channels for synchronization between goroutines.
- How do you use
- Advanced Channel Usage:
- How can you implement a publish-subscribe pattern using channels?
- How do you implement a rate limiter using channels in Go?
4. Data Structures Usage
- Maps:
- How do you work with maps in Go? What are their limitations?
- How would you handle concurrent access to a map?
- Slices:
- How do slices differ from arrays in Go?
- Can you explain how slices are internally implemented and how that affects their usage?
- What are some common slice operations, and how do you handle out-of-bounds errors?
- Structs:
- How do you define and use structs in Go?
- Can you explain the concept of embedding in Go structs and its use cases?
5. Interface Usage
- Basics:
- What is an interface in Go, and how is it different from interfaces in other languages like Java or C#?
- How do you implement and use interfaces in Go?
- Empty Interface:
- What is the empty interface (
interface{}
) in Go, and how is it typically used? - How do you perform type assertions and type switches on an empty interface?
- What is the empty interface (
- Interface Design:
- How do you design and use small, composable interfaces in Go?
- Can you explain the concept of duck typing in Go with respect to interfaces?
- What are the advantages and potential pitfalls of using interfaces in Go?
6. Memory Management
- Garbage Collection:
- How does garbage collection work in Go?
- What are some strategies to optimize memory usage in Go?
- Escape Analysis:
- What is escape analysis, and how does it affect memory allocation in Go?
7. Error Handling
- Idiomatic Error Handling:
- How is error handling typically done in Go?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of Go's error handling approach?
- Custom Error Types:
- How do you create and use custom error types in Go?
- How do you implement and handle error wrapping in Go 1.13+?
### 8. Go Idioms and Best Practices
- Testing:
- How do you write and structure tests in Go?
- What tools do you use for testing in Go (e.g.,
testing
,testify
)?
- Code Organization:
- How do you structure a Go project?
- What are the best practices for managing dependencies in Go (e.g., Go modules)?
9. Advanced Go Concepts
- Reflection:
- What is reflection in Go, and how can it be used? What are the downsides?
- Panic and Recover:
- How do you handle panics in Go, and when should you use
recover
?
- How do you handle panics in Go, and when should you use