What is .go?

.go files contain source code written in the Go programming language (often referred to as Golang). Go is a statically typed, compiled language designed by Google for simplicity, reliability, and efficiency. It is famous for its built-in concurrency features (goroutines).

This quick guide explains when to use .go files, how to open them on any device, and how to share them instantly with FileXhost.

When to use .go files

You are building high-performance web servers or microservices.
You are developing cloud-native infrastructure (Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform are written in Go).
You need a language that compiles fast and produces single binary executables.
You want efficient concurrency without the complexity of threading in C++ or Java.

How to open .go files

Go files are plain text and can be edited in any text editor. VS Code (with the Go extension) and GoLand are the most popular environments for Go development.

Algorithm details

Go is a compiled language. The 'go build' command compiles the source code directly into a native machine code binary. It includes a garbage collector and a runtime for handling goroutines.

Browser & platform support

Direct: Not supported by browsers.
WebAssembly: Go can be compiled to WebAssembly (.wasm) to run in the browser.

Format comparison

Feature	Details
Speed	Compiles very fast and runs at near C++ speeds.
Simplicity	Minimalist syntax. No classes, no inheritance, no generics (until recently), making it easy to read.
Concurrency	Goroutines and Channels make concurrent programming much easier than in other languages.

How to create go files

IDEs: VS Code (File > New File > main.go).
CLI: 'touch main.go'.
Go Tool: 'go mod init mymodule' initializes a project.

How to convert go files

Compiler: 'go build' creates a standalone executable.
FileXhost: Upload to share source code.

Advantages & disadvantages

Advantages

Simple and easy to learn
Fast compilation and execution
Excellent built-in tooling (formatting, testing, documentation)
Produces static binaries (easy deployment)

Disadvantages

Lack of some modern language features (like extensive functional programming tools)
Error handling can be verbose ('if err != nil')
Smaller ecosystem for GUI development compared to C# or Java

Tools & software

IDEs

VS Code (Recommended), GoLand, Vim

CLI

Go Toolchain

Frameworks

Gin, Echo, Fiber (Web Frameworks)

Frequently asked questions

Is it Go or Golang?

The language is called 'Go'. 'Golang' is often used as a search term and for the website (golang.org) because 'go' is a common word.

Who uses Go?

Google, Uber, Twitch, Dropbox, and many other tech giants use Go for their backend systems.

What is 'gofmt'?

It's a tool that automatically formats Go code. In the Go community, everyone's code looks the same because everyone uses gofmt.

Technical specs

File type: Code
Extension: .go
MIME type: text/x-go, text/plain
Compression: Uncompressed
Max file size on FileXhost: Up to 25 MB per file on the free plan and up to 1 GB on Pro FileXhost accounts.

Upload your .go file to FileXhost to get a clean, shareable URL in seconds. View the file in a modern browser, protect access with optional settings, and let others download it without any confusing ads or cluttered file pages.

Upload .go file