Italo Baeza Cabrera
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Go, Rust and PHP: The 32 differences

I couldn’t resist the temptation to pick Go and see how it’s different from PHP and Rust

Italo Baeza Cabrera

Nov 2, 2020·30 min read

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Photo by Lukáš Vaňátko on Unsplash

Go is fast, but Rust is faster

1. Go is static and (mostly) safe

func sumSomething(number int) int {
    return number + 10
}func numberFruit(fruit Fruit) (int, fruit) {
    return 10, fruit
}
func sum(number int) int {
    return number + 10
}func main() {
    // This won't fly on Go as it's considered a string
    fmt.Println(sum("10"))
}
func sum(sum int) int {
    return sum + 10
}
func split(sum int) (x, y int) {
    x = sum * 4 / 9
    y = sum - x
    return
}

2. The documentation is also awesome

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The Go Playground testing a simple “Hello, world!” style of output.
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The official “Go Tour” where most of the language concepts are explained in a interactive way.

3. Installing Go is braindead easy

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4. Variables are… variables!

func doSomething() {
    var favorite_number int
    favorite_number = 10    other_number := 33
}
var number int = 10  // <-- Here it's declared.
var number string = "hello" // <-- This won't compilation error.{
    var number int = 20  // <-- This works in this scope.
}

5. Strict constants and no static

func main() {
    // This works:
    const A_STRING string = "Hello world"    // This doesn't even compile
    const AN_ARRAY_OF_STRINGS = [2]string{"Hello", "world"}
}

6. Dude, where is my static?

var global_variable = "Hello World"const GLOBAL_STRING = "This is constant"func main() {
    // ... very important stuff    fmt.Println(global_variable, " and ", GLOBAL_STRING)
}

7. Everything is passed-by-value

func sum(number int) int {
    number += 10    return number
}func main() {
    number := 10    fmt.Println(sum(number)) // This will output "20"
    fmt.Println(number) // But this, will output "10"
}
func sum(number *int) int {
    *number += 10 // Get the value under the pointer and update it.    return *number // Return the value under the pointer.
}func main() {
    number := 10    fmt.Println(sum(&number)) // This will output "20".
    fmt.Println(number) // This outputs "20" because we updated it.
    fmt.Println(&number) // Prints the memory address like "0x...".
}

8. Garbage Collector done… right?

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9. Don’t think about the Stack or the Heap

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Go deciding that a integer goes to the stack, while other goes to the heap.

10. No threads, no async, just Go

This pings different sites by calling a function as a Goroutine. The WaitGroup allows to wait for all these to end their execution.
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You won’t need to push routines to threads. Go will do that for you.

11. Still not the arrays you’re looking for

$mylist = ["foo", new Bar, 3]; // This is valid.
var list := [2]string{"Hello", "world!"}
var thisMap = map[string]string{
   "greeting": "Hello",
   "subject": "world!",
}
func main() {
    var list := []interface{}{1, 2, "apple", true}
    fmt.Println(arr)    // however, now you need to use type assertion access elements
    i := arr[0].(int)
    fmt.Printf("i: %d, i type: %T\n", i, i)    s := arr[2].(string)
    fmt.Printf("b: %s, i type: %T\n", s, s)
}

12. Not your OOP language either

type Fruit struct {
    family: string,
    name: string,
}func (fruit Fruit) setFamily(family string) {
    fruit.family = family
}

13. Newtypes in, Tuples and Enums out

type UserName stringfunc whatIsYourName(un UserName) {
    fmt.Println(un)
}
type Color int
 
const (
    Red Color = iota // Make each constant an integer
    Green
    Blue
)func main() {
    var color Color = Red    if (color == Red) {
        fmt.Println("The color is: ", color)
    }
}
func returnsFooAndBar() (int, int) {
    return 1, 2
}foo, bar := returnsFooAndBar()

14. There is no “static methods”

class Equation {
    protected $color = "transparent";    public static function new()
    {
        return new Equation;
    }
}$equation = Equation::new();
struct CarChassis {
    color: String
}impl CarChassis {
    pub fn new() -> Self {
        CarChassis {
            color: "transparent"
        }
    }
}
type CarChassis struct {
    color: string
}func NewCarChassis() *CarChassis {
    return CarChassis {
        color: "transparent"
    }
}--- Later in the codevar car = NewCarChassis()

15. Functions have variadic parameters

func compare_cars(cars ...Car) bool {
    // ...
}func main() {
    // ...    compare_cars(car_1, car_2, car_3)
}

16. Defer is magic

func write_something(file File, text string) {
    defer file.Unlock()    // If the file cannot be locked, the program panics, but the
    // deferred `file.Unlock()` will be called nonetheless.
    file.Lock()    // And if we cannot append the text, it will also be called.
    file.Append(string)
}
public function readFile($file) {  
    try {
        return $this->filesystem->read_contents($file);
    } finally {
        // This will be executed even if no exception is returned.
        $this->cleanup($file);
    }
}

17. My old friends “if”, “for” and “switch”

if roses == "red" {
    fmt.Println("Roses are red")
} else {
    fmt.Println("Roses are not red")
}if _, ok := flower.(Rose); ok && roses == "red" {
    fmt.Println("Yes, this is a rose and it's red")
}
switch v {
    case "red":
        fmt.Printf("This is a red rose")
    case "blue":
        fmt.Printf("This is a blue rose")
    default:
        fmt.Printf("This is not a red or blue rose!")
 }
switch v := i.(type) {
    case Rose:
        fmt.Printf("This is a Rose")
    case Violet:
        fmt.Printf("This is a Violet")
    default:
        fmt.Printf("This may be not a flower at all!")
 }
for i =: 0; i < 10; i++ {
    fmt.Println("The number is: ", i)
}for isSystemReady() {
    fmt.Println("The system is not ready... yet")
}for {
    fmt.Prinln("I can't get out!")
}
colors := []string{"Red", "Green", "Blue"}for index, color := range colors {
    fmt.Println("The color is: ", color)
}

18. There is no Iterable type

19. Nil is not a type, but a value

var number []int              // number   == nil -> true
var list map[string]string    // list     == nil -> true
var pointer *int              // pointer  == nil -> true
var channel chan int          // channel  == nil -> true
var function func()           // function == nil -> truetype Something struct {
    pointer *int 
}var something Something       // Something.pointer == nil -> true
var anyType interface{}       // anyType           == nil -> truevar anything = nil            // compile error: use of untyped nil

20. Interfaces are like ducks

type Duck interface {
    Looks() string
    Swims() string
    Quacks() string
}type Animal struct {}func (a Animal) Looks() string {
    return "duck"
}func (a Animal) Swims() string {
    return "duck"
}func (a Animal) Quacks() string {
    return "duck"
}

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

type Thing struct {}func (t Thing) String() string {
    return "Hello world!"
}func main() {
    fmt.Println(new(Thing)) // <-- "Hello world!"
}
type Duck interface {
    swims() string
}

21. Empty Interfaces. You read that right.

func receive(anything interface{}) {
    // ... What type is "anything"???
}

22. Interfaces can have nil values, and that’s evil

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type SomethingInterface interface {
   DoAnything() string
}type Box struct{}func (box *Box) DoAnything() string {
    return "I did something!"
}func isThisNil(value interface{}) {
    if value == nil { // <-- This will be false!
        fmt.Println("The box is nil")
    } else {
        fmt.Println("The box is NOT nil") // <-- And this will run!
    }
}func main() {
   // Here we got the pointer of Box, with no data.
   var box *Box = nil
   // This says the pointer implements an interface, and it's valid
   var pointer_of_box SomethingInterface = box// Pass the pointer to the function.
   // The function will get this as valid, and execute
   isThisNil(pointer_of_box)
}

23. Public or Private, nothing in between

type Fruit struct { // <-- This is public
    family: string,
    name: string,
}func (fruit Fruit) setFamily(family string) { // <-- This is private
    fruit.family = family
}func (fruit Fruit) WhatFamilyIs() string { // <-- This is public
    return fruit.family
}
import ( "fmt", "fruits" )func main() {
    fruit := Fruit { family: "Apple" }    fmt.Println(fruit.WhatFamilyIs()) // <-- This will work
    
    fruit.setFamily("Pineapple") // <-- But this won't.
}

24. No traits whatsoever

trait Barks()
{
    public function bark() {
        return property_exists($this, 'bark_sound') ?
               $this->bark_sound : "woof!";
    }
}
trait Barks {
    fn bark(&self) -> String {
        self.bark_sound
    }
}

25. Ok, error. Panic.

function AreYouOkay(number int) (int, bool) {
    // Sum 3, and return false if the number was below 3
    number += 3    return number, number > 3
}func main() {
    number, ok := AreYouOkay(10)    // If the number is not okay, print this next string line.
    if !ok {
        fmt.Println("Note the number is over 3")
    }
}
import (
 "errors"
)func ThisMayFail(number int) (int, error) {
    if int == 0 {
        return 0, errors.New("You cannot use zero as number")
    }    return number + 3, nil
}
func main() {
    number, error = ThisMayFail(0);    if error != nil {
       log.Fatal(error) // This properly terminates the program.
    }    fmt.Println(number)
}
func dontFail() int {
    // Ensure the call to `recover()` is executed regardless.
    defer func() {
        if recovered := recover(); recovered != nil {
            return 0
        }
    }()    ThisWillPanic(); // <-- This will panic    return 10;
}

26. Namespaces are packages

// app/MyApp/Something.php
<?phpnamespace App\MyAppclass Something
{
    // ...
}
// src/user/name.gopackage uservar PublicName = "John Doe"var privateName = "Maria Doe"
package mainimport (
    "fmt"
    "user/name"
)func main() {
    fmt.Println(name.PublicName)
}
import "github.com/vendor/goodies"func main() {
    goodie.Name()
}

27. Decentralized dependencies

go mod init my-proyect# Or, if you want to publish it in Github
# go mod init github.com/myname/mypackage
go get github.com/my-vendor/my-package
package main

import (
   env "github.com/joho/godotenv"
)

func main() {
   err := env.Load()   // ...do something important
}

28. Reflection is like a tiny mirror

var pi float64 = 3.14fmt.Println("The value is: ", reflect.ValueOf(x).String())

29. Testing is much better, but not quite

func returnTen() int {
    return 10
}func TestReturnsTen(*testing.T) {
    if returnTen() != 10 {
        t.Errorf("Value returned is not 10.")
    }
}

30. Profiling is awesome… once set up correctly

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An example of tracing a Go application with pprof — Golang remote profiling and flamegraphs (Matowsky.com)

31. Golang likes the web, and you?

32. Only one way to database in Go

Bonus: It’s freaking hard to read

func (c *Case) SetC(m int, n string) {
    c.Sum(m).Named(n)
}
func (n int) int {
    return (int + 10) / 10    // In a perfect world, you would have done this:
    // int.Sum(10).Divide(10)
}
fn power_of_ten() -> usize {
    let mut = 10;    10.pow(5)
}

Italo Baeza Cabrera

Graphic Designer graduate. Full Stack Web Developer. Retired Tech & Gaming Editor.

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