What are the best practices for using goroutines in Go?

What are the best practices for using goroutines in Go?

When using goroutines, it's important to manage concurrency effectively. Here are some best practices:

1. Use WaitGroups to wait for goroutines to finish.
2. Avoid shared memory; use channels for communication.
3. Limit the number of goroutines to prevent resource exhaustion.
4. Handle errors properly within goroutines.

Can you explain how to use WaitGroups?

Sure! A WaitGroup is used to wait for a collection of goroutines to finish executing. You can add to the WaitGroup with Add(n) where n is the number of goroutines you are going to wait for. Then, each goroutine should call Done() when it finishes. Finally, you call Wait() to block until all goroutines have completed.

What are channels and how do they help with goroutines?

Channels are a way for goroutines to communicate with each other. They allow you to send and receive values between goroutines, which helps avoid race conditions. By using channels, you can synchronize the execution of goroutines and share data safely.

Are there any common pitfalls to avoid?

Yes, some common pitfalls include:

1. Not closing channels, which can lead to deadlocks.
2. Creating too many goroutines, which can exhaust system resources.
3. Ignoring error handling in goroutines, which can lead to silent failures.