Why Go Is Popular Among Crypto Developers

John M Potter
DeFi Currents
Published in
3 min readApr 11, 2022

Go, also known as Golang, is a compiled systems-oriented programming language released by Google in 2012. The third most popular programming language (after C and Java), Go offers DevOps practitioners several advantages.

Like the blockchain, Go programming is a fantastic technology to learn if you seek to advance your overall programming career. Go is a trendy language and Go programmers are better paid than the average Java/PHP/Javascript programmer.

In addition, Go is optimized for multi-core CPU architecture. You can spawn thousands of light-weight threads (Go-routines) without any hassles. This makes it extremely practical for highly parallel and concurrent software such as blockchain networks.

By writing software in Go, you can achieve a C++ level of performance right out-of-the-box. And you won’t kill yourself if you forgot to free up memory.

Go also compiles to binary which makes it very portable.

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Among Go’s benefits is a strong capacity for what is called concurrency, essentially being able to run several tasks at once.

With concurrency, Go can handle multiple sub-programs simultaneously. It’s able to do so by using what are called goroutines and channels. Consequently, it’s ideal for taking on distributed computing, high-end complexity, and cloud technologies.

Only the C, C++, and Java programming languages can compare.

Moreover, Go can execute programs directly since it’s compiled to machine code. It’s also quicker than interpreted languages such as Javascript. And being a compiled language, it’s similar to lower-level languages like C/C++.

However, Go can also handle programming object allocation and removal (using a feature called Garbage Collection). As such, Go compares favorably to other languages with regard to memory management.

Compiling Speed Is a Key Factor

Since Go compiles quickly to machine code, it’s incredibly fast. It’s even faster than Java, another compiled programming language. That’s because Java relies on a Virtual Machine (VM) to run code (as VM only understands byte code that is compiled from human-readable code).

As a result, Go is superior to Java for running applications.

Finally, Go is far easier to understand than other object-oriented languages. Its uncomplicated syntax makes it easier to learn than Java or C++. And since Go does not contain classes or support-inheritance, developers find it easier to create and modify.

Like Python, Go has a standard library as well.

Conclusion

Go is not without its critics. In particular, many developers contend that the language is overly regimented.

However, it’s this uniformity that makes the programming language easier to understand. It also enables developers to work with greater efficiency. In all, the increasing popularity of Go appears to be well-deserved.

Foremost among Go’s benefits is a strong capacity for what is called concurrency (being able to run several tasks at once).

With concurrency, Go can handle multiple sub-programs simultaneously. It’s able to do so by using what are called goroutines and channels. Consequently, it’s ideal for taking on distributed computing, high-end complexity, and cloud technologies.

Only the C, C++, and Java programming languages can compare.

Moreover, Go can execute programs directly since it’s compiled to machine code. It’s also quicker than interpreted languages such as Javascript. And being a compiled language, it’s similar to lower-level languages like C/C++.

However, Go can also handle programming object allocation and removal (using a feature called Garbage Collection). As such, Go compares favorably to other languages with regard to memory management.

Finally, Go is far easier to understand than other object-oriented languages. Its uncomplicated syntax makes it easier to learn than Java or C++. And since Go does not contain classes or support-inheritance, developers find it easier to create and modify.

Like Python, Go has a standard library as well.

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John M Potter
DeFi Currents

Content Writer on Blockchain Technology and Quantum Computing. Open to freelance, reach me at johnpotterGR @gmail.com. Check out my crypto magazines