Go Concurrency

Master Go's concurrency model using goroutines, channels, and synchronization primitives for building concurrent applications.

Goroutines

Creating goroutines:

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "time"
)

func sayHello() {
    fmt.Println("Hello from goroutine")
}

func main() {
    // Launch goroutine
    go sayHello()

    // Anonymous function goroutine
    go func() {
        fmt.Println("Hello from anonymous goroutine")
    }()

    // Give goroutines time to execute
    time.Sleep(time.Second)
}

Goroutines with parameters:

func printNumber(n int) {
    fmt.Println(n)
}

func main() {
    for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
        go printNumber(i)
    }
    time.Sleep(time.Second)
}

Channels

Basic channel operations:

func main() {
    // Create unbuffered channel
    ch := make(chan int)

    // Send in goroutine (non-blocking)
    go func() {
        ch <- 42
    }()

    // Receive (blocks until value available)
    value := <-ch
    fmt.Println(value) // 42
}

Buffered channels:

func main() {
    // Buffered channel with capacity 2
    ch := make(chan string, 2)

    // Can send up to 2 values without blocking
    ch <- "first"
    ch <- "second"

    fmt.Println(<-ch) // first
    fmt.Println(<-ch) // second
}

Channel direction:

// Send-only channel
func send(ch chan<- int) {
    ch <- 42
}

// Receive-only channel
func receive(ch <-chan int) int {
    return <-ch
}

func main() {
    ch := make(chan int)

    go send(ch)
    value := receive(ch)

    fmt.Println(value)
}

Closing channels:

func main() {
    ch := make(chan int, 3)

    ch <- 1
    ch <- 2
    ch <- 3
    close(ch) // Close channel

    // Receive until channel is closed
    for value := range ch {
        fmt.Println(value)
    }

    // Check if channel is closed
    value, ok := <-ch
    fmt.Printf("Value: %d, Open: %v\n", value, ok) // Value: 0, Open: false
}

Select Statement

Multiplexing channels:

func main() {
    ch1 := make(chan string)
    ch2 := make(chan string)

    go func() {
        time.Sleep(time.Second)
        ch1 <- "from ch1"
    }()

    go func() {
        time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
        ch2 <- "from ch2"
    }()

    // Wait for both
    for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
        select {
        case msg1 := <-ch1:
            fmt.Println(msg1)
        case msg2 := <-ch2:
            fmt.Println(msg2)
        }
    }
}

Select with default:

func main() {
    ch := make(chan int, 1)

    select {
    case val := <-ch:
        fmt.Println(val)
    default:
        fmt.Println("No value ready") // Executed
    }
}

Select with timeout:

func main() {
    ch := make(chan string)

    go func() {
        time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
        ch <- "result"
    }()

    select {
    case msg := <-ch:
        fmt.Println(msg)
    case <-time.After(time.Second):
        fmt.Println("Timeout") // Executed after 1 second
    }
}

Worker Pools

Implementing worker pool pattern:

func worker(id int, jobs <-chan int, results chan<- int) {
    for job := range jobs {
        fmt.Printf("Worker %d processing job %d\n", id, job)
        time.Sleep(time.Second)
        results <- job * 2
    }
}

func main() {
    jobs := make(chan int, 100)
    results := make(chan int, 100)

    // Start 3 workers
    for w := 1; w <= 3; w++ {
        go worker(w, jobs, results)
    }

    // Send 5 jobs
    for j := 1; j <= 5; j++ {
        jobs <- j
    }
    close(jobs)

    // Collect results
    for a := 1; a <= 5; a++ {
        <-results
    }
}

sync.WaitGroup

Waiting for goroutines to complete:

import (
    "fmt"
    "sync"
    "time"
)

func worker(id int, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
    defer wg.Done() // Decrement counter when done

    fmt.Printf("Worker %d starting\n", id)
    time.Sleep(time.Second)
    fmt.Printf("Worker %d done\n", id)
}

func main() {
    var wg sync.WaitGroup

    for i := 1; i <= 5; i++ {
        wg.Add(1) // Increment counter
        go worker(i, &wg)
    }

    wg.Wait() // Wait for all to complete
    fmt.Println("All workers done")
}

sync.Mutex

Protecting shared state:

import (
    "fmt"
    "sync"
)

type Counter struct {
    mu    sync.Mutex
    value int
}

func (c *Counter) Increment() {
    c.mu.Lock()
    c.value++
    c.mu.Unlock()
}

func (c *Counter) Value() int {
    c.mu.Lock()
    defer c.mu.Unlock()
    return c.value
}

func main() {
    var wg sync.WaitGroup
    counter := Counter{}

    for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
        wg.Add(1)
        go func() {
            defer wg.Done()
            counter.Increment()
        }()
    }

    wg.Wait()
    fmt.Println(counter.Value()) // 1000
}

sync.RWMutex

Read-write locks:

type Cache struct {
    mu    sync.RWMutex
    items map[string]string
}

func (c *Cache) Get(key string) (string, bool) {
    c.mu.RLock() // Read lock
    defer c.mu.RUnlock()
    val, ok := c.items[key]
    return val, ok
}

func (c *Cache) Set(key, value string) {
    c.mu.Lock() // Write lock
    defer c.mu.Unlock()
    c.items[key] = value
}

func main() {
    cache := Cache{items: make(map[string]string)}

    // Multiple readers can access simultaneously
    var wg sync.WaitGroup
    for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
        wg.Add(1)
        go func() {
            defer wg.Done()
            cache.Get("key")
        }()
    }

    wg.Wait()
}

sync.Once

Execute once initialization:

var (
    instance *Database
    once     sync.Once
)

type Database struct {
    conn string
}

func GetDatabase() *Database {
    once.Do(func() {
        fmt.Println("Initializing database")
        instance = &Database{conn: "connected"}
    })
    return instance
}

func main() {
    var wg sync.WaitGroup

    for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
        wg.Add(1)
        go func() {
            defer wg.Done()
            db := GetDatabase() // Only initializes once
            fmt.Println(db.conn)
        }()
    }

    wg.Wait()
}

Context Package

Using context for cancellation:

import (
    "context"
    "fmt"
    "time"
)

func worker(ctx context.Context, id int) {
    for {
        select {
        case <-ctx.Done():
            fmt.Printf("Worker %d cancelled\n", id)
            return
        default:
            fmt.Printf("Worker %d working\n", id)
            time.Sleep(500 * time.Millisecond)
        }
    }
}

func main() {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())

    for i := 1; i <= 3; i++ {
        go worker(ctx, i)
    }

    time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
    cancel() // Cancel all workers
    time.Sleep(time.Second)
}

Context with timeout:

func slowOperation(ctx context.Context) error {
    select {
    case <-time.After(3 * time.Second):
        return nil
    case <-ctx.Done():
        return ctx.Err()
    }
}

func main() {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(
        context.Background(),
        2*time.Second,
    )
    defer cancel()

    err := slowOperation(ctx)
    if err != nil {
        fmt.Println("Operation timed out:", err)
    }
}

Context with values:

func processRequest(ctx context.Context) {
    userID := ctx.Value("userID")
    fmt.Println("Processing for user:", userID)
}

func main() {
    ctx := context.WithValue(
        context.Background(),
        "userID",
        "user123",
    )
    processRequest(ctx)
}

Error Handling in Concurrent Code

Using errgroup:

import (
    "context"
    "fmt"
    "golang.org/x/sync/errgroup"
    "time"
)

func fetchUser(ctx context.Context, id int) error {
    time.Sleep(time.Second)
    if id == 3 {
        return fmt.Errorf("user %d not found", id)
    }
    fmt.Printf("Fetched user %d\n", id)
    return nil
}

func main() {
    g, ctx := errgroup.WithContext(context.Background())

    userIDs := []int{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

    for _, id := range userIDs {
        id := id // Capture loop variable
        g.Go(func() error {
            return fetchUser(ctx, id)
        })
    }

    // Wait for all goroutines
    if err := g.Wait(); err != nil {
        fmt.Println("Error:", err)
    }
}

Fan-Out Fan-In Pattern

Distributing work and collecting results:

func generator(nums ...int) <-chan int {
    out := make(chan int)
    go func() {
        for _, n := range nums {
            out <- n
        }
        close(out)
    }()
    return out
}

func square(in <-chan int) <-chan int {
    out := make(chan int)
    go func() {
        for n := range in {
            out <- n * n
        }
        close(out)
    }()
    return out
}

func merge(cs ...<-chan int) <-chan int {
    out := make(chan int)
    var wg sync.WaitGroup

    wg.Add(len(cs))
    for _, c := range cs {
        go func(ch <-chan int) {
            defer wg.Done()
            for n := range ch {
                out <- n
            }
        }(c)
    }

    go func() {
        wg.Wait()
        close(out)
    }()

    return out
}

func main() {
    in := generator(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

    // Fan out
    c1 := square(in)
    c2 := square(in)

    // Fan in
    for n := range merge(c1, c2) {
        fmt.Println(n)
    }
}

When to Use This Skill

Use go-concurrency when you need to:

• Execute multiple operations concurrently
• Build concurrent servers or workers
• Implement producer-consumer patterns
• Process data streams concurrently
• Handle multiple I/O operations simultaneously
• Implement timeout and cancellation
• Coordinate multiple goroutines
• Build fan-out/fan-in pipelines
• Share state safely between goroutines
• Implement rate limiting or throttling

Best Practices

• Use channels for communication, mutexes for state
• Close channels from sender side only
• Always use WaitGroup to wait for goroutines
• Pass contexts for cancellation and deadlines
• Use buffered channels judiciously
• Protect shared state with mutexes
• Avoid goroutine leaks with proper cleanup
• Use select with default for non-blocking ops
• Prefer sync.Once for initialization
• Document goroutine ownership and lifecycle

Common Pitfalls

• Goroutine leaks (forgetting to exit)
• Race conditions from unprotected shared state
• Deadlocks from improper channel usage
• Sending on closed channels (panics)
• Not checking channel close status
• Overusing mutexes instead of channels
• Creating too many goroutines
• Forgetting to call WaitGroup.Done()
• Passing loop variables to goroutines
• Not handling context cancellation

Resources

• Go Concurrency Patterns
• Effective Go - Concurrency
• Go by Example - Goroutines
• errgroup Package
• Context Package