Writing our first API service

In this comprehensive tutorial on creating your first API in Go, we start by setting up a new project in Goland using Go 1.23. The tutorial emphasizes Go's built-in capabilities, particularly its standard library which includes an HTTP server, eliminating the need for third-party dependencies.

The core concepts covered include creating a servmux (server multiplexer) to handle HTTP requests, implementing basic endpoints, and understanding Go's error handling approach. We create two main endpoints: a GET endpoint to retrieve todos and a POST endpoint to create new ones.

Key technical aspects covered include working with JSON encoding/decoding, using structs to represent data, handling HTTP requests and responses, and managing data with slices. The tutorial demonstrates how to use Goland's built-in HTTP request testing tool, making it easy to test the API without leaving the IDE.

The application stores todos in memory using a slice, implementing basic CRUD operations (though the data isn't persistent and will be lost when the program stops). We learn about HTTP status codes, request/response formatting, and Go's approach to error handling.

The tutorial concludes with a challenge to implement a delete endpoint, suggesting the addition of IDs to make todo management more robust. Throughout the tutorial, emphasis is placed on Go's simplicity, with the entire basic API implementation requiring only about 20 lines of code.

Important Go concepts demonstrated include error handling as values (rather than exceptions), the use of interfaces, working with the standard library, and Go's approach to HTTP routing. The tutorial also covers practical development tools like Command Shift O for quick file navigation and Goland's code generation features.