What is the defer statement in Go?

What is the defer statement in Go?

The defer statement in Go is used to ensure that a function call is performed later in the program's execution, usually for cleanup purposes.

Can you give me an example of how defer works?

Sure! If you open a file in Go, you can use defer to close it after you're done. For example:

file, err := os.Open("file.txt")
if err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
}
defer file.Close() // This will close the file when the function exits

What happens if I have multiple defer statements?

They are executed in LIFO order, meaning the last defer statement added will be the first one to execute when the function returns.

Are there any performance implications of using defer?

Yes, using defer can introduce a slight overhead, but it's often negligible compared to the benefits of cleaner code and ensuring resources are released properly.