How do I use context in Go for concurrency?

How do I use context in Go for concurrency?

In Go, the context package is used to manage deadlines, cancellation signals, and other request-scoped values across API boundaries. You can create a context using context.Background() or context.TODO(), and then pass it to goroutines.

Can you give me an example of how to implement it?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

package main

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

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

    go func() {
        // Simulate work
        time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
        fmt.Println("Work done")
    }()

    select {
    case <-ctx.Done():
        fmt.Println("Context cancelled or timeout reached")
    }
}

What happens if the context times out?

If the context times out, the ctx.Done() channel will be closed, and any goroutines that are listening to it can handle the cancellation appropriately. It's a way to signal that they should stop their work.

Are there any best practices for using context?

Yes, some best practices include: always pass context as the first parameter to functions, avoid storing context in global variables, and use context.Background() or context.TODO() for top-level functions.