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Mumshad Mannambeth, KodeKloud Training, and Priyanka Yadav

It’s important to learn new skills, but it’s even more important to learn the right skills.

Why Golang? Well, Golang has been the most popular language to learn over the past 3 years, and is easily one of the top trending programming languages of the past decade.

But the reason why it’s popular is because it’s the true programmer’s language. It was built with the idea to make work a lot easier for programmers all over the world. And it does exactly that.

Read more

It’s important to learn new skills, but it’s even more important to learn the right skills.

Why Golang? Well, Golang has been the most popular language to learn over the past 3 years, and is easily one of the top trending programming languages of the past decade.

But the reason why it’s popular is because it’s the true programmer’s language. It was built with the idea to make work a lot easier for programmers all over the world. And it does exactly that.

Go or Golang is a programming language developed and maintained by Google. It is a free and open-source language. It’s easy to learn, it’s scalable and it has fast execution.

This course requires zero experience in programming or coding. All it takes is some discipline and following our easy-to-understand curriculum.

This course won’t just throw content at you. We’ve made sure that what you learn will actually stick. After each module, you’ll get access to practice questions to truly understand the concepts we teach you.

You’ll also get access to our hands-on labs. Our labs can be accessed right in your browser without having to set up any lab environment yourself. We validate your work and give you feedback instantly.

Our hands-on labs will give you the experience you need to excel in your DevOps career.

In this course, you will learn:

  • Data types

  • Variables

  • Arrays

  • Slices

  • Maps

  • Operators

  • Control flow

  • Functions

and other Go concepts.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Build programs in golang
  • Read and make sense of source codes of open source applications written in golang
  • Gain hands-on experience using challenging coding exercises on our labs
  • Understand concepts with animated illustrations in our lectures
  • Get instant feedback on your programs through our lab exercises

Syllabus

Getting Started
Course Introduction
Introduction & Installation
Your First Go Program
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Requires zero experience in programming or coding, making it accessible to individuals who are new to software development and want to learn the fundamentals of Golang
Provides hands-on labs that simulate real-world scenarios, offering practical experience relevant to excelling in a DevOps career and building proficiency with cloud infrastructure
Includes challenging coding exercises within the labs, which allows learners to apply their knowledge and develop practical problem-solving skills in the Go programming language
Offers instant feedback on programs through lab exercises, which accelerates the learning process and reinforces understanding of key concepts in a timely manner
Covers fundamental concepts such as data types, variables, arrays, slices, maps, operators, control flow, and functions, providing a solid foundation for further exploration of Golang
Requires discipline and consistent engagement with the curriculum, which may pose a challenge for learners who struggle with self-directed learning or time management

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Reviews summary

Foundational golang with practical labs

According to learners, this course offers a largely positive introduction to Golang, especially for those with zero prior programming experience. Students frequently praise the clear and concise explanations of core concepts like data types, variables, and control flow. A significant highlight mentioned by many are the hands-on labs, which provide practical coding exercises directly in the browser and are seen as extremely valuable for reinforcing learning. While providing a solid foundation in Go fundamentals, learners note the course focuses primarily on basics and may require further study for more advanced topics or real-world application development. Overall, it's viewed as an excellent starting point for beginners looking to learn Go.
Covers core Go basics comprehensively.
"It covers all the fundamental Go concepts you need to get started, like data types, loops, functions."
"I feel like I have a strong understanding of the basics after taking this course."
"The syllabus covers the essential building blocks of the Go language effectively."
Excellent starting point for novices.
"This course was perfect as my very first introduction to programming. It truly starts from zero."
"I had no coding background, and this course made learning Go accessible and not overwhelming."
"It lives up to its name; definitely designed for absolute beginners in programming."
Concepts explained clearly for beginners.
"The explanations are really clear and easy to follow, even for someone who's never coded before."
"I found the lectures broke down complex ideas into simple, understandable chunks."
"The instructor's way of explaining Go basics made it easy for me to grasp the fundamentals quickly."
Labs reinforce theory with practical coding.
"The hands-on labs are a game-changer; they let me practice immediately and solidify what I learned."
"I really appreciated the in-browser labs, no setup needed and they gave instant feedback."
"Doing the coding exercises in the labs was crucial for my learning; it's the best part of the course."
Focuses on basics, not advanced topics.
"It's a great start, but you'll need other resources for more advanced topics like concurrency or web development."
"Don't expect to build complex applications after this; it's purely introductory."
"I wish it had touched on testing or using common Go libraries, but it sticks to the core language."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Golang for Beginners with these activities:
Review Basic Programming Concepts
Reviewing basic programming concepts will help you grasp the fundamentals of Go more easily. This will make the initial modules on data types, variables, and control flow much smoother.
Browse courses on Programming Fundamentals
Show steps
  • Review data types and variables in a language you already know.
  • Practice writing simple programs with loops and conditional statements.
  • Familiarize yourself with basic input/output operations.
Read 'Head First Go'
Reading 'Head First Go' provides a more in-depth and visual explanation of the concepts covered in the course. This will help solidify your understanding and make the labs easier to complete.
View Head First Go on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the first few chapters covering data types, variables, and functions.
  • Try the exercises and examples provided in the book.
  • Relate the concepts in the book to the course lectures and labs.
Complete Go Exercises on Exercism
Practicing Go exercises on Exercism reinforces your understanding of the language syntax and concepts. This will improve your ability to write clean and efficient Go code.
Show steps
  • Create an account on Exercism.org.
  • Choose the Go track and start with the beginner exercises.
  • Complete at least 5-10 exercises per week, focusing on different concepts.
  • Submit your solutions and review feedback from mentors.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Read 'Effective Go'
Reading 'Effective Go' helps you write more idiomatic and efficient Go code. This will improve the quality of your projects and make you a more valuable contributor to the Go community.
Show steps
  • Read the entire 'Effective Go' document.
  • Pay attention to the sections on naming conventions, error handling, and concurrency.
  • Apply the principles from 'Effective Go' to your own Go projects.
Build a Simple Command-Line Tool
Building a command-line tool allows you to apply your Go knowledge in a practical setting. This will help you understand how different concepts work together to create a functional application.
Show steps
  • Choose a simple task, such as a calculator or a to-do list manager.
  • Plan the structure and functionality of your tool.
  • Write the Go code, breaking down the task into smaller functions.
  • Test your tool thoroughly and fix any bugs.
  • Add documentation and share your tool with others.
Write a Blog Post About a Go Concept
Writing a blog post forces you to deeply understand a Go concept and explain it clearly to others. This will solidify your knowledge and improve your communication skills.
Show steps
  • Choose a Go concept that you find interesting or challenging.
  • Research the concept thoroughly and gather examples.
  • Write a clear and concise blog post explaining the concept.
  • Include code examples and diagrams to illustrate your points.
  • Publish your blog post on a platform like Medium or your own website.
Contribute to a Go Open Source Project
Contributing to open source projects exposes you to real-world Go code and best practices. This will improve your coding skills and help you learn from experienced developers.
Show steps
  • Find a Go open source project that interests you on GitHub.
  • Read the project's documentation and contribution guidelines.
  • Look for issues labeled 'good first issue' or 'help wanted'.
  • Submit a pull request with your changes and respond to feedback.

Career center

Learners who complete Golang for Beginners will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Software Engineer
A software engineer designs, develops, and maintains software applications. This role requires a strong foundation in programming, and this course, by focusing on Golang, a popular and versatile language, helps build that foundation. A software engineer may work with various technologies, but familiarity with a language like Go, which is known for its efficiency and scalability, is extremely valuable. This course introduces crucial concepts such as data types, variables, control flow, and functions, all of which are essential for a software engineer.
Backend Developer
A backend developer focuses on the server-side logic of applications and websites. This involves databases, APIs, and the overall architecture that powers the user-facing front end. This course on Golang may be particularly helpful as Go is frequently used in backend development due to its speed and concurrency features. A backend developer who takes this course gains practical experience with data types, variables, functions, and control flow, all of which are essential when building efficient server applications. The practical labs in this course will also provide valuable experience in applying these concepts.
DevOps Engineer
A DevOps engineer is responsible for automating and streamlining the software development lifecycle, focusing on infrastructure as code, continuous integration, and continuous delivery. This course, by providing an introduction to Golang, helps build skills in a language that's often used in DevOps tooling and automation tasks. The hands-on labs in this course help a DevOps engineer gain the experience they need as they learn fundamental programming concepts, including data structures like arrays, slices, and maps. A DevOps engineer who takes this course will find that the concepts will transfer well into their career.
Cloud Engineer
A cloud engineer designs, implements, and manages cloud infrastructure and services. This position typically requires a strong understanding of programming and scripting languages. This course, through its focus on Golang, helps build the foundation for programming skills that are highly valued in cloud environments. Many cloud platforms and tools are developed in Go due to its efficiency and scalability. A cloud engineer will find this course useful for understanding the fundamental programming concepts and the nuances of a modern language like Go.
Systems Programmer
A systems programmer works on low-level software such as operating systems, device drivers, and embedded systems. A systems programmer needs a solid understanding of programming concepts, data structures, and algorithms. This course helps build essential skills in a structured and practical manner through a solid introduction to Golang. A systems programmer needs a language that emphasizes performance, and Go is particularly suited for low-level programming. The concepts covered in the course, such as pointers and memory management, are also pertinent to the work a systems programmer does.
API Developer
An API developer creates and maintains application programming interfaces. This career requires solid programming practices and this course may be particularly helpful as it provides a strong foundation in Golang, a language often used to build efficient and scalable APIs. An API developer will find the course's focus on functions, data types, and control flow to be directly applicable to creating robust and well-designed APIs. The hands-on labs where you practice what you learn will also provide useful training.
Mobile Application Developer
A mobile application developer creates applications for mobile devices. While Golang is not as frequently used for direct mobile application development, it is used to build the backend services and APIs that power mobile apps. This course may be useful as it will help a mobile application developer understand the fundamental programming concepts and how they are applied in languages like Golang. By understanding how to build a robust backend, a mobile application developer will be able to create better products. The course's curriculum on functions, data structures, and control flow are particularly useful.
Game Developer
A game developer creates video games, and frequently requires expertise in a programming language. While Golang isn’t the most popular language for game development, it can be very useful in developing the game's backend and ancillary systems. A game developer who takes this course will learn programming concepts and data structures. Game development often requires knowledge of concurrency, and Golang is specifically designed to handle it. This course may be useful as it introduces the core concepts that are utilized in a game developer's work.
Data Engineer
A data engineer builds the systems that collect, manage, and transform data. This field requires solid programming skills and this course, while not a core data engineering course, provides a strong foundational understanding of a programming language. Golang’s performance and concurrency features make it useful for data processing pipelines and related infrastructure. A data engineer may find this course beneficial for learning the ropes of programming through the Golang language. Concepts like data types, control flow, and functions that are covered here, are useful when working with data.
Site Reliability Engineer
A site reliability engineer ensures that websites and applications are reliable and performant. This role requires proficiency in scripting and automation, and this course may be useful as it provides a detailed look at the Golang programming language, which is often used for building performant tooling and infrastructure. A site reliability engineer will find this course to be a helpful introduction to programming since it covers essential concepts such as data types, variables, and control structures. The practical labs also provide the hands-on experience they need.
Automation Engineer
An automation engineer designs systems to automate tasks and processes, which often requires a keen understanding of programming. This course in Golang may be helpful as it introduces the fundamental programming concepts needed to develop robust automation scripts and tools. An automation engineer often works with languages like Go because of its efficiency and concurrency support. Through this course, an automation engineer can gain the knowledge and hands-on experience with data types, functions, and control flow to excel in their role.
Embedded Systems Engineer
An embedded systems engineer designs and develops software for embedded systems, such as those found in devices like appliances, cars, and medical equipment. This role requires a good understanding of low-level programming and real-time operating systems. While Golang is not the primary language for embedded systems, it can be useful for creating supporting tools and server-side components. This course may be helpful to an embedded systems engineer as it introduces core programming concepts. Many aspects of the course, including data structures and control flow, are directly applicable.
Technical Consultant
A technical consultant provides expert advice to clients on technology-related matters. This job requires a solid understanding of software and systems, and this course may be beneficial as it introduces the Golang programming language. While a technical consultant may not directly write code, understanding Go’s strengths can help them advise organizations on technology choices. A technical consultant can leverage the practical knowledge of programming gained from this course to better understand the needs of clients. The concepts covered here may be useful for a technical consultant.
Technical Writer
A technical writer creates documentation for software and hardware products. This role requires an understanding of the technologies they are writing about. This course may be helpful for a technical writer because an understanding of a language like Go will allow them to better document relevant systems and processes. The knowledge of core programming concepts and how they are used in practice may be beneficial when describing the technical aspects of products and systems. While this role does not require programming experience, this course may be useful.
Project Manager
A project manager oversees projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget. While this course is heavily technical, it may be useful for a project manager to have a basic understanding of the languages and tools being used. This course helps a project manager better understand the nuances of software development and, in particular, how Golang is used in the process. The specific technical details of this course may not directly translate to their day-to-day work, but may offer some context.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Golang for Beginners.
Head First Go great introductory book for learning Go. It uses a visual and engaging style to explain complex concepts. is particularly helpful for beginners who prefer a more hands-on and interactive learning experience. It provides a solid foundation for understanding the core concepts covered in the course.
Effective Go valuable resource for understanding Go's best practices and idioms. It provides guidance on writing clean, efficient, and idiomatic Go code. is more valuable as additional reading to improve your coding style and understanding of Go's design principles. It is commonly referenced by Go developers to ensure code quality and maintainability.

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