Go programming also known as (golang)  is an open source programming language originally developed by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson at Google in 2007. Go is not a free-form language in other words; its conventions specify many formatting details, including how indentation and spaces are to be used.

Go has gained popularity since it was first announced in 2009, and it’s now being used by many companies worldwide and for a variety of applications; Dropbox, Google, SoundCloud,  CloudFlare,  Docker and Cloud Foundry are some of the Go programming users.

The aim of this post is to present and compare between free online sources that beginners can rely on to learn the Go programming language, the sources stated here are for full-structured courses that beginners can follow along.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn Go programming) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Getting Started with Go programming from Scratch

Go – Book

Go – Book is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning Go programming through a text based tutorial, you don’t need to register to have access to the book.

Structure: The training has a book like structure (it’s actually an online book), it’s divided into  14 chapters, each chapter is divided into lessons that covers a certain aspect of the Go programming.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the lesson resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is very suitable for those who are totally new to programming.
3. The training is well structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. It’s a text book which might be intimidating for those who prefer videos lessons,

Verdict: This is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Go programming online through a text based tutorial.

Tutorials Point

Tutorials Point is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning Go programming from scratch. This is a text based course and you don’t need to register to have access to the course.

Structure: The course has only one main section, that section is divided into lessons, each of the lessons covers a certain topic in the Go programming.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where lesson resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The course is very suitable for those who want to revise a certain topic in Go programming.

Cons

1. The course structure doesn’t make it easy for Go programming beginners to follow along, as it’s structured more towards revising certain topics in Go programming.

Verdict: This is a very good outlet for beginners to start learning Go programming online through a text based tutorial.

golang Website

golang Website is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning Go programming through an interactive tutorial. You don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: the training is divided into 4 main section, each section is divided into lessons, and each of these lessons covers various topics in Go programming.

Interface: The interface is simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the lesson resides, you will navigate inside the lesson using the onscreen arrows.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.
3. You can run and experiment with your code in the browser.

Cons

1. The training isn’t for complete programming beginners, you’ve to have a programming background in order to start using it.

Verdict: This is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Go programming online through an interactive tutorial.

Dev Free Casts

Dev Free Casts is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Go programming through video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: There’s no real structure for the training, it’s a large collection of video lessons covering the various topics in the Go programming language. The video lessons are not created by the same instructor.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the blue”watch” tab under the video lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the lesson resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training has a large collection of video lessons that covers the various topics in the Go programming language.

Cons

1. The training isn’t well-structured or organized for beginners.

Verdict: Though this outlet has a large collection of video lessons, but it’s not suitable for complete beginners to start learning Go programming from it.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning Go programming:

1. Go – Book is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Go programming through a text based tutorial.
2. golang Website is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Go programming through an interactive tutorial.
3. If you prefer books then try either Go Bootcamp or An Introduction to Programming in Go as they are the best option for any beginner.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in learning Go programming.