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Golang (or Go) is a versatile programming language that is fast, easy to learn, and built to scale. Designed at Google with its first appearance in 2009, this statically-typed, compiled language continues to grow in popularity. As it is well suited for developing microservices, Go aligns with many software development strategies that take advantage of this architecture model.

However, even though the Go language has many advantages, it still relies on developers to write effective code. Developers, on the other hand, need to rely on tools to help them create better solutions. Even though you could write Golang code in a simple text app and compile it, writing Go in this way is not efficient. An application that provides you with an editing function while improving your performance and efficiency is a far better option. Thankfully, there are several Golang editors that software developers can use to write clean, efficient, and performant Go code.

GoLand

GoLand is a commercial Integrated Development Environment (IDE). In addition to its editing capabilities, it also offers a broad range of features to help developers create efficient and effective Go solutions. Its editor simplifies the process of reading, writing, and amending Golang code. With real-time error detection and suggestions, it speeds up the development process while minimizing debugging time.

In addition to its enterprise editing capabilities, GoLand's intuitive navigation feature also improves a developer's workflow. It simplifies it by enabling developers to move between types, files, and other symbols rapidly. Exploring and understanding the structure of an existing project can take time and effort for new team members. GoLand solves this challenge with functionality that helps them get an overarching view of the code structure, reducing onboarding time significantly. This IDE also has powerful tools built into the application that enable developers to run and debug their Go application. With support for Git, GitHub, and Mercurial, it also aids in providing seamless continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflow.

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a free and open-source code editor built by Microsoft. The platform is extendible and enables developers to add extensions for their preferred programming language. The Go extension for Visual Studio Code provides a wide range of features that help Go developers write clean and efficient code. With built-in IntelliSense, you get editing features such as code completion, quick info, and parameter info.

Microsoft Visual Studio Code also offers code navigation, symbol search, testing, and debugging capabilities. You can also seamlessly import Go packages and rename symbols using its built-in functionality. It also offers support for code source management technologies such as Git and GitHub. Software developers can run, debug, and test their Go solutions with the Go language server it offers. One of the primary advantages of Visual Studio Code is that it supports multiple programming languages. This feature allows you to build solutions that require different technologies. For example, you can use Visual Studio Code to write your microservices in Go and the rest of your solution in Python, PHP, or Java. It supports 14 different programming languages making it an exceptionally flexible solution development environment.

Sublime Text

Sublime Text is another code editor Go software developers can leverage to create Golang solutions. It is extendible through its Package Control feature, similar to Visual Studio Code's extensions. It offers several Golang plugins that allow you to add coding capabilities such as build system integration, tags, and renaming functionality. Its GoSublime extension provides essential development functionality, including code completion.

Like Visual Studio Code and Goland, this code editor checks your Golang syntax while you write code. Over and above its Go-specific functionality, Sublime Text offers other general code editing features that help software developers improve their output efficiency. It has a wide range of powerful shortcuts that enable you to go to particular code references and simultaneously make multiple selections and amendments. Its split editing functionality allows you to edit files side by side, which is an excellent debugging feature.

Vim

Vim is another text editor software developers can use to write, edit, and amend Go code. Like Sublime Text and Visual Studio Code, it has an extensive plugin system that allows you to extend its core capabilities. Vim is effectively a clone of vi, a text editor created for Unix that also runs on Linux and macOS. It has editing features that help Go, programmers, edit and amends code, such as multi-level undo, powerful search and replace, and integration with other software development tools.

The Vim code editor has various plugins that you can install to write Golang code. The vim-go plugin adds Go language support for Vim and offers additional features software developers can leverage to create Go solutions. It has compile, install, and test abilities in addition to syntax highlighting and code completion. Using this plugin, developers can easily import Go packages, review their code coverage, and look up documentation from within the Vim console.

Eclipse IDE

Eclipse IDE is another software application developers can use to write clean, efficient, and effective Go code. Although the platform is written in Java and programmers primarily use it to develop Java applications, its array of plugins includes support for multiple languages. It is free and open-source and has several packages that extend its capabilities depending on your programming language preference.

Go developers that want to use Eclipse IDE will need to install one of several available plugins. These include Go-CodeMix and GoClipse. Other plugins such as LiClipse and LiClipseText provide support for multiple languages, including Go. As expected, all these plugins have the standard functionality you would expect of a code editor, such as code completion, search, multi-line amendments, and syntax highlighting.

Other Golang Code Editors

Although this list contains some of the most popular code editors for Go solutions, it is by no means complete. Software developers can also use other general-purpose editors such as Notepad++ to write Go code. As Go is a statically typed, compiled language, you can use any editor to write the syntax before running it through the Go compiler. The best Golang editors provide additional features and capabilities that help developers write code faster while assisting them in minimizing bugs.

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