What is strict typing and type inference in Go?
Go is a statically typed language, which means that the type of a variable must be declared at compile time and cannot be changed during runtime. This approach allows for better performance and more predictable behavior, as the compiler can optimize the code based on the known types.
At the same time, Go also supports type inference, which allows the compiler to automatically determine the type of a variable based on its context. This means that developers don't always have to explicitly declare the type of a variable, which can make the code more concise and easier to read.
Here's an example of type inference in Go:
package main
func main() {
x := 10 // The type of x is inferred as int
y := "hello" // The type of y is inferred as string
z := true // The type of z is inferred as bool
}
In this example, the types of the variables **x**
, **y**
, and **z**
are automatically inferred by the compiler based on their initial values. This allows developers to write code more quickly and with less clutter.
However, it's important to note that Go's type inference is limited to local variables and cannot be used for function parameters or return values. Additionally, Go's type system is still strict and won't allow implicit type conversions between different types, which can help to prevent common programming errors.