How Go Changed the Way I Build Software
I’ve spent most of my career working with dynamic languages — starting with PHP, then Ruby, and later TypeScript. They’ve been great companions, giving me flexibility, fast prototyping, and a wide range of tools. But at some point, I felt I needed something different — something that combined speed, simplicity, and reliability.
That’s when I discovered Go.
It felt like a natural transition: it has garbage collection, which made it less intimidating for someone coming from dynamic languages. But what I didn’t expect was how much Go would reshape the way I approach software development.
I first started using Go while developing Fuego, my Firestore management app. Incredibly, less than a week after I began learning it, I was already fully productive and building real features. The learning curve felt almost nonexistent compared to other languages I’ve tried.
Less Magic, More Clarity
Go’s simplicity is its superpower. No weird circular dependencies. No “clever” hacks. I now actively avoid unnecessary external dependencies — not because it’s a rule, but because Go makes it so easy to write things yourself when needed. The result? My codebase is cleaner, easier to maintain, and far less fragile.
Performance Without the Struggle
With very little effort, I can build faster and more efficient software. It’s not about chasing micro-optimizations; it’s about the fact that Go encourages writing straightforward, efficient code from the start.
Deployments Made Simple
One of the biggest game-changers for me is deployment. With Go, I compile one single binary that contains everything my app needs. No virtual machines, no dependency hell, no “this library won’t install because it needs some obscure system package.” Just a single file — copy it to the server, run it, done.
The Takeaway
Go didn’t just add another language to my toolbox — it changed my mindset. I now value simplicity over cleverness, clarity over magic, and self-contained solutions over dependency-heavy ones.
For me, Go is more than just a programming language. It’s a philosophy of building software that’s simple, efficient, and dependable.