Let's Go

Introduction

The book "Let's Go" by Alex Edwards is a practical guide to building web applications in the Go language (Golang). Published in 2022, it covers the full development cycle in 374 pages: from project setup to deployment. This is not a syntax reference, but a step-by-step tutorial that will walk you through creating a real web application — a note management system (Snippetbox). The book is ideal for those already familiar with the basics of Go who want to move into web development.

What the book is about

"Let's Go" focuses on the practical application of Go for building web servers and HTTP applications. The author systematically covers key topics:

• Project setup and code structure
• Routing using the standard net/http package
• Handling requests and forming responses
• Working with templates (html/template)
• Connecting to a database (SQLite/PostgreSQL) via database/sql
• Session management and authentication
• Error handling and logging
• Testing (unit tests, integration tests)
• Security: protection against XSS, CSRF, SQL injection
• Deploying the application to a server

Each chapter contains code that can be immediately run and modified. By the end of the book, you will have a fully functional, production-ready web application.

Who this book is for

The book is intended for developers who already have a basic understanding of Go (variables, functions, structs, interfaces) and want to learn how to build web applications. It will be useful for:

• Beginner Go developers looking to move from console utilities to the web
• Backend developers in other languages (Python, Java, PHP) who are learning Go
• Students and self-learners seeking a structured practical course
• Those who want to understand how a web server works "from the inside" without frameworks

What the reader will learn

After reading the book, you will be able to:

• Create an HTTP server from scratch using only the standard library
• Implement a clean project architecture (MVC approach)
• Work with databases using a connection pool
• Manage user sessions and cookies
• Protect the application from common vulnerabilities
• Write tests for web applications
• Set up CI/CD and deploy to a remote server

Strengths

• Practical focus — you don't just read theory, you write code that works.
• Relevance — the book uses modern approaches and packages (Go 1.18+).
• Detailed explanations — the author comments on every decision, explaining the "why" and "what for".
• No frameworks — you learn to work with pure Go, giving you a deep understanding of the language.
• Code quality — examples follow best practices (Go idioms, error handling, testing).
• Support — updates and additional materials are available on the author's website.

Who should read it

The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to professionally pursue web development in Go. It is suitable both for self-study and for courses. If you already know the basics of Go but don't know how to apply them to the web — start with "Let's Go". It is one of the best practical Go books available today.