Go is a great language for building web applications. But teaching yourself from blog posts and the standard-library documentation can often leave you with more questions than answers.
You might be wondering:
Let’s Go answers these questions for you — and a whole lot more.
The book guides you through the start-to-finish build of a real-world application, so you'll gain all the knowledge, understanding and confidence you need to create production-ready applications with Go.
Want to get a better feel for the book? Take a look through the free sample and chapter listing
“I feel like this is the best programming book I've ever read. I came in with a basic understanding of golang relative to web development and this book clearly broke down all the essentials you need to get up to speed with the language in a web dev context.”
— Michael Degli-Angeli, Toronto
“Really enjoying the book, I'd been learning Go from various online tutorials but was struggling with gaining traction and how to organise a project, your book has really helped with its "learn as you code approach".”
— Andrew Link, Norfolk
“I really liked the advice on how to structure a project. I'm now refactoring my first Golang project to use your advice, which will make it easier to read and maintain.”
— Paul Bradbury, Cumbria
“Thank you for the Golang book you've produced, it was fantastic. Your explanations and walkthrough felt like I was being taught by a veteran over the shoulder. I got exactly what I was expecting and in comparison to other tutorial books this one is leagues ahead.”
— Jack Callister, Munich
“I read this book a few months ago and found it very useful as an introduction to web programming with Go. I also read other books and this was by far the best, there is value in every chapter... I recommend it to any Go beginner wanting to get started building web apps.”
— ElectronicWater, Reddit
“Just bought your book, and I’m very impressed. I’ve been teaching at the university level for quite some time, and as an educator I have to say that your method of presenting the information is exceptionally clear and effective.”
— Trevor Sawler, New Brunswick
“I purchased your Go book a few days ago and have torn through it. I finished it last night and was thoroughly impressed. I’ve read through quite a lot of books, tutorials etc of this nature and so far have enjoyed your style the most. You’ve excited me about starting my next project!”
— Tom Speak, London
“Just completed the course and I have to say it completely exceeded my expectations. I am looking forward to any future material your publish. Thanks again for your awesome course!”
— Nick Achis
Let's Go teaches you step-by-step how to create fast, secure and maintainable web applications using the fantastic programming language Go.
The idea behind the book is to help you learn by doing. Together we'll walk through the start-to-finish build of a web application — from structuring your workspace, through to session management, authenticating users, securing your server and testing your application.
Building a complete web application in this way has a number of benefits. It helps put the things you're learning into context, it demonstrates how different parts of your codebase link together, and it forces us to work through the edge-cases and difficulties that come up when writing software in real-life. In essence, you'll learn more than you would by just reading Go's (great) documentation or standalone blog posts.
By the end of the book you’ll have the understanding — and confidence — to build your own production-quality web applications with Golang.
Although you can read the book cover-to-cover, it's designed specifically so you can follow along with the project build yourself.
Break out your text editor, and happy coding!
Hey, I’m Alex Edwards, a full-stack web developer. I began working with Golang 7 years ago in 2013, and have been teaching people and writing about the language for nearly as long.
I’ve used Go to build a variety of production applications, from simple websites (including the one you’re reading now) to high-frequency trading systems. I also work on a number of open source Go packages, including the popular session management system SCS.
I live near Innsbruck, Austria. I post regularly on my blog and you can follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Github.
Money-back guarantee — If you don’t get anything from the book, then I don’t want your money. Just reply to your purchase receipt with 30 days and I’ll issue a full refund.
How will I get the book? You can buy online by PayPal, credit card or debit card over a secure encrypted connection. After purchase you'll immediately be given a download link for the book, and a email confirmation will also be sent to you.
Any questions? Feel free to drop me an email at alex@alexedwards.net and I’ll be happy to help.
What are the guided exercises?
At the end of the book there are 6 exercises which extend the application build further. Each exercise is broken down into high-level steps for you to work through, and there are suggested answers for each step. The exercises are designed to use the principles and patterns covered earlier in the book, so they're a good way to check your understanding and test yourself.
Is the book all based on the standard library?
Yes, the book teaches you to build web applications using the standard library (rather than using a specific framework like Buffalo, Echo or Gin). A few small external packages are used where it makes sense for security reasons and to reduce complexity.
Do you offer a student discount?
Yes, I'm happy to offer a 25% discount for anyone in full-time education. Email me at alex@alexedwards.net, and I'll send you a discount code that you can use at checkout.
Is this suitable for Go beginners?
Yep! The book deliberately takes a "learn as you code" approach, starting slowly with the basics of building a web application and gradually adding additional features and functionality. So long as you have a basic understanding of the Go syntax, you shouldn't have trouble following along — especially if you've build web applications in other languages before.
How often do you make updates? How will I get them?
Updated versions of the book will be emailed to you at the address you provide during checkout. I usually send out updates once every 6 months, to coincide with new major releases of the Go language. You can unsubscribe from the updates at any time.
How you provide access to the source code?
The source code is simply included in a zip file as part of the book download. You can open it on your local machine and start exploring it right away.
If you've completed the Golang intro material but are wondering how to begin writing production apps, I strongly recommend https://t.co/y4jI7d1BRa. Reading & implementing it took my Go project from spindly spaghetti code to well-structured, testable packages @ajmedwards
— Mario Vega (@MarioWhoWrites) June 27, 2019
Just finished https://t.co/QSdeId5zFD by @ajmedwards - highly recommended. Practical, engaging, well thought out. #golang #webdev
— Konstantin Harten (@konha) February 26, 2020
https://t.co/o3w2Ghy98X
— Fakorede Boluwatife (@wati_fe) September 18, 2019
Incase you want to learn golang for web development, best resource I have come across. Worth the time and money.@ajmedwards. 🤠
Probably the first promoted tweet which was useful to me. Reading the book and enjoying the experience so far. It feels like a completion of my previous learning materials about #Golang. Thanks ✌️
— León Domingo (@leon__do_IT) May 4, 2019
I competed working through @ajmedwards 's "Let's Go" book. Alex does a great job of walking through a reference implementation for a server-side Go-based basic web application. This is a good resource for someone learning #golang #coding #webdevelopment https://t.co/Qod3MQOAQ6
— ptdecker (@ptdecker) January 2, 2020
I'd highly recommend @ajmedwards book called "Let's Go". It was soo helpful designing/structuring/organizing/testing a production ready web application in Go(lang).https://t.co/uKsMzau5DE
— Todd Griffin (@goddtriffin) April 30, 2020
just finished the book "Let's go" by @ajmedwards and it is honestly amazing how much it covers regarding a web application by building a simple yet instructive app. 10/10 recommend 👏
— Christian Francia (@BarnaChristian) May 28, 2020
I have this book and can wholeheartedly recommend it
— Deon Slabbert (@proginprac) January 27, 2020