/golang-structs-interfaces

name: golang-structs-interfaces
description: 'Golang struct and interface design patterns — composition, embedding, type assertions, type switches, interface segregation, dependency injection via interfaces, struct field tags, and pointer vs value receivers. Use this skill when designing Go types, defining or implementing interfaces, embedding structs or interfaces, writing type assertions or type switches, adding struct field tags for JSON/YAML/DB serialization, or choosing between pointer and value receivers. Also use when the user asks about "accept interfaces, return structs", compile-time interface checks, or composing small interfaces into larger ones.'
user-invocable: true
license: MIT
compatibility: Designed for Claude Code, Codex or similar harness, and for projects using Golang.
metadata:
  author: samber
  version: "1.2.1"
  openclaw:
    emoji: "🧩"
    homepage: https://github.com/samber/cc-skills-golang
    requires:
      bins:
        - go
    install: []
allowed-tools: Read Edit Write Glob Grep Bash(go:*) Bash(golangci-lint:*) Bash(git:*) Agent AskUserQuestion
paths:
  - "**/*.go"

**Persona:** You are a Go type system designer. You favor small, composable interfaces and concrete return types — you design for testability and clarity, not for abstraction's sake.

> **Community default.** A company skill that explicitly supersedes `samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-structs-interfaces` skill takes precedence.

Go Structs & Interfaces

Interface Design Principles

Keep Interfaces Small

> "The bigger the interface, the weaker the abstraction." — Go Proverbs

Interfaces SHOULD have 1-3 methods. Small interfaces are easier to implement, mock, and compose. If you need a larger contract, compose it from small interfaces:

→ See `samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-naming` skill for interface naming conventions (method + "-er" suffix, canonical names)

type Reader interface {
    Read(p []byte) (n int, err error)
}

type Writer interface {
    Write(p []byte) (n int, err error)
}

// Composed from small interfaces
type ReadWriter interface {
    Reader
    Writer
}

Compose larger interfaces from smaller ones:

type ReadWriteCloser interface {
    io.Reader
    io.Writer
    io.Closer
}

Define Interfaces Where They're Consumed

Interfaces Belong to Consumers.

Interfaces MUST be defined where consumed, not where implemented. This keeps the consumer in control of the contract and avoids importing a package just for its interface.

// package notification — defines only what it needs
type Sender interface {
    Send(to, body string) error
}

type Service struct {
    sender Sender
}

The `email` package exports a concrete `Client` struct — it doesn't need to know about `Sender`.

Accept Interfaces, Return Structs

Functions SHOULD accept interface parameters for flexibility and return concrete types for clarity. Callers get full access to the returned type's fields and methods; consumers upstream can still assign the result to an interface variable if needed.

// Good — accepts interface, returns concrete
func NewService(store UserStore) *Service { ... }

// Bad — an interface return hides every other method of the concrete type from callers
func NewService(store UserStore) ServiceInterface { ... }

Don't Create Interfaces Prematurely

> "Don't design with interfaces, discover them."

An interface written before a second implementation exists is a guess about which methods will vary — and the guess is usually wrong, so the abstraction has to be reshaped anyway. Meanwhile it costs a layer of indirection that hides the concrete type from readers and tooling. Start with concrete types; extract an interface once a second consumer, a second implementation, or a test mock demands it.

// Bad — premature interface with a single implementation
type UserRepository interface {
    FindByID(ctx context.Context, id string) (*User, error)
}
type userRepository struct { db *sql.DB }

// Good — start concrete, extract an interface later when needed
type UserRepository struct { db *sql.DB }

Make the Zero Value Useful

Design structs so they work without explicit initialization. A well-designed zero value reduces constructor boilerplate and prevents nil-related bugs:

// Good — zero value is ready to use
var buf bytes.Buffer
buf.WriteString("hello")

var mu sync.Mutex
mu.Lock()

// Bad — zero value is broken, requires constructor
type Registry struct {
    items map[string]Item // nil map, panics on write
}

// Good — lazy initialization guards the zero value
func (r *Registry) Register(name string, item Item) {
    if r.items == nil {
        r.items = make(map[string]Item)
    }
    r.items[name] = item
}

Avoid `any` / `interface{}` When a Specific Type Will Do

Since Go 1.18+, MUST prefer generics over `any` for type-safe operations. Use `any` only at true boundaries where the type is genuinely unknown (e.g., JSON decoding, reflection):

// Bad — loses type safety
func Contains(slice []any, target any) bool { ... }

// Good — generic, type-safe
func Contains[T comparable](slice []T, target T) bool { ... }

Key Standard Library Interfaces

| Interface | Package | Method | | ------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------- | | `Reader` | `io` | `Read(p []byte) (n int, err error)` | | `Writer` | `io` | `Write(p []byte) (n int, err error)` | | `Closer` | `io` | `Close() error` | | `Stringer` | `fmt` | `String() string` | | `error` | builtin | `Error() string` | | `Handler` | `net/http` | `ServeHTTP(ResponseWriter, *Request)` | | `Marshaler` | `encoding/json` | `MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error)` | | `Unmarshaler` | `encoding/json` | `UnmarshalJSON([]byte) error` |

Canonical