What is the difference between defer and finally in Go?

What is the difference between defer and finally in Go?

In Go, 'defer' is used to schedule a function call to be run after the function completes, while 'finally' is not a keyword in Go. Instead, 'defer' serves a similar purpose to 'finally' in other languages.

Can you give me an example of how defer works?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

package main
import "fmt"

func main() {
    defer fmt.Println("This will be printed last.")
    fmt.Println("This will be printed first.")
}

In this code, the message from 'defer' will be printed after the main function completes.

What happens if I have multiple defer statements?

If you have multiple 'defer' statements, they are executed in LIFO (Last In, First Out) order. The last 'defer' statement defined will be the first one executed when the function exits.

Is there a performance impact when using defer?

Yes, using 'defer' can have a slight performance overhead because it involves a function call setup. However, it's often negligible compared to the benefits of code clarity and maintainability.