Preface

Go is a multi-paradigm programming language. This means that both the object-oriented paradigm and the functional paradigm are entirely valid approaches to problem solving. In this book, we will explore the applications of functional programming techniques in Go. But rather than being purely focused on the functional aspect, we will embrace Go for what it is – multi-paradigm. This means that we highlight the difference between the functional and object-oriented ways of problem solving.

To write Go code that is more testable, readable, and reliable, we will look at functional-first approaches such as functions as first-class citizens, function purity, currying, and more. We will look not only at how to write functional code, but we will also explore the performance implications and limitations of Go.

The goal of this book is to get the reader accustomed to functional programming as a valid paradigm that can improve your code, no matter whether you’re working on a greenfield project or a project already entrenched in the OO paradigm.

For readers unfamiliar with the newly introduced generics in Go, this book also serves as an example of what’s possible now that generics are part of the standard library. Finally, we will also look at libraries that can be leveraged to write functional code for both pre-generic and post-generic versions of Go.