Creating REST APIs with Go Programming Language

Introduction

Go, also known as Golang, is a modern, open-source programming language designed at Google. It's known for its simplicity, efficiency, and concurrency features, making it an excellent choice for building robust and scalable web services, including REST APIs.

In this blog series, we'll dive into the world of Go and learn how to create REST APIs using the language. We'll cover fundamental concepts like routing, request handling, data serialization, and error handling. Let's get started!

Setting Up

Prerequisites

Go installed on your system (https://go.dev/doc/install)
A text editor or IDE of your choice

Creating a Project

Let's start by creating a new Go project:


    mkdir my-api
    cd my-api

Building a Basic API

Setting up a Server

First, create a file named main.go in your project directory and add the following code:


    package main

    import (
        "fmt"
        "net/http"
    )

    func main() {
        http.HandleFunc("/", handler)
        fmt.Println("Server listening on port 8080...")
        http.ListenAndServe(":8080", nil)
    }

    func handler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
        fmt.Fprintf(w, "Hello, world!")
    }

This code defines a simple server that listens on port 8080. When a request hits the root path ("/"), it calls the handler function, which writes "Hello, world!" to the response.

Running the Server

To run your server, execute the following command:


    go run main.go

You can now access the API at http://localhost:8080.

In the next part, we'll delve into routing, handling different request methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), and data serialization to build more complex APIs.