What is the difference between JSON encoding and decoding in Go?

What is the difference between JSON encoding and decoding in Go?

In Go, JSON encoding is the process of converting Go data structures into JSON format, while decoding is the reverse.

Can you give me an example of JSON encoding in Go?

Sure! You can use the json.Marshal function to encode a Go struct into JSON. For example:

package main

import (
    "encoding/json"
    "fmt"
)

type Person struct {
    Name string `json:"name"`
    Age  int    `json:"age"`
}

func main() {
    p := Person{Name: "Alice", Age: 30}
    jsonData, _ := json.Marshal(p)
    fmt.Println(string(jsonData))
}

And how do I decode JSON back into a Go struct?

You can use the json.Unmarshal function to decode JSON data into a Go struct. Here's an example:

var p Person
jsonString := `{"name":"Alice","age":30}`
json.Unmarshal([]byte(jsonString), &p)
fmt.Println(p)

What are some common errors to watch out for during encoding and decoding?

Common errors include mismatched struct tags, incorrect data types, and handling of nil values. Always check for errors!