Golang For DevOps: A Complete Guide

Coding has become a necessary skill for DevOps engineers.

Whether in interviews or real-world projects, a strong DevOps profile requires solid coding skills, especially in product companies.

In this blog, we will look at:

Golang for DevOps
DevOps/SRE Tooling with Golang
Write Once, Run Anywhere Concept
Golang Learning Resources
Github repository with 8 weeks learning roadmap with projects.
List of Golang DevOps Tasks to Try
Portal for DevOps Golang Jobs (Full-time & Remote)
Golang Stats & Case Studies

Lets get started.

Golang for DevOps

When we talk about programming or scripting for DevOps, the primary languages that is most discussed is Python and shell scripting.

This is because it is easy to get started with, and you can write many system scripts for automation needs.

However, if you look at the DevOps ecosystem, most of the popular tools we use today are built around Go.

Kubernetes, Terraform, Docker, Helm, Istio, and many other CNCF tools are written in Go.

So why is Golang widely used in DevOps tools and cloud-native projects?

Short Answer: Speed, simplicity, and efficiency.

Go was designed to address Google's need for fast compilation (solving C++ build time issues), efficient concurrency (for large-scale distributed systems), and static binaries (for easier cloud deployments).

This made Go an excellent choice for cloud infrastructure, backend services, and distributed systems, which is why it became the language behind projects like Kubernetes, Docker, and Prometheus.

Also, many cloud-native projects are developed in Go, making it the preferred language for DevOps tooling.

Additionally, a large number of developers contribute to the ecosystem, leading to more libraries and packages for automation.

DevOps/SRE Tooling With Golang

As a DevOps Engineer or SRE, what can you build using Golang?

Golang’s standard library supports many common operations, such as handling HTTP requests, file I/O, JSON and YAML parsing, and more.

Since we often write scripts for day-to-day tasks, Golang is a great choice for building CLI tools and APIs.

Personally, I have developed a CLI tool in Golang to automate a repetitive task in a project.

You can also extend Kubernetes using Kubernetes Operators and build extensions, such as custom controllers and admission webhooks.

Additionally, you can create kubectl plugins using Golang.

Overall, Go is great for backend systems, networking, and cloud-native applications. Because of this, you can use Golang for DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering to build tools and utilities, thanks to Go's performance and the CNCF tooling built around it.

Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA)

Write once, run anywhere” (WORA) means that a program can be written once and executed on different platforms without needing modifications.

Go allows developers to compile code for different operating systems and architectures using environment variables (GOOS and GOARCH).

For example,

If you write a Go program on a Linux machine, you can compile it for Windows, macOS, or even ARM-based devices without having to rewrite the code.

Unlike Python or Java, which require interpreters or virtual machines (JVM) to run, Go compiles everything into a single binary.

This means you don’t need to install extra libraries or dependencies on the target system. Just copy the final Golang binary and run it.

This sort of makes Go tools easy to distribute, especially in cloud environments, CI/CD pipelines, and containerized applications.

Golang Learning Resources

So how do you get started with Golang?

Like any other programming language, you need to begin with the basics.

You can start with,

If you are looking for a structured course where you can read and try out Go in the same browser, you can check out the Educative Golang course.

Other than that, you will find O'Reilly books, many free YouTube videos, and Udemy courses to learn Golang.

Practical Roadmap with Learning Tasks

To maximize your time, you can learn and build projects while on the move.

I’ve also created a GitHub repository with an 8-week learning roadmap and hands-on projects using Go.

Checkout: Golang For DevOps Learning Roadmap

Golang DevOps Tasks To Try

Once you learn the basics, you need to build apps to strengthen your learning.

The more you build, the better you understand Golang (Concurrency with Goroutines, Error Handling, Structs and Interfaces, HTTP Servers and APIs etc).

You can try the following tasks related to DevOps. With AI you can easily understand and build it if you have the basics strong.

Build a CLI that pings services/endpoints and reports their status.
Develop a simplified command-line tool that performs common cloud operations
Create a utility that reads and validates YAML/JSON configuration files before deployemnt.
Develop a simple scheduler that runs tasks at specified intervals
Create an API that exposes system metrics like CPU, memory, and disk usage
Develop a utility that synchronizes files between directories or systems
Build a tool that generates traffic to test application performance
Create a program that parses log files and extracts useful information or statistics

Following are some Kubernetes specific Golang tasks.

Create a simple operator that manages a custom resource.
Build a webhook that validates or mutates Kubernetes resources before they're created or updated
Develop a controller that watches specific resources and takes actions when they change
Create a CLI tool that analyzes and visualizes RBAC permissions across your cluster, identifying overprivileged service accounts
Develop a tool that identifies unused service accounts and tokens that should be cleaned up.
Build a CLI that validates security contexts on pods and containers against your organization's security policies.

Portal for DevOps Golang Jobs

I found this interesting portal that lists all the Golang-related jobs.

Interestingly, there are many DevOps-based Golang requirements.

Check it out: golangprojects.com/golang-jobs/devops

Golang Stats & Case Studies

As per Go Developer Survey 2024, almost half of respondents (50%) deploy Go programs to Amazon Web Services followed by on prem servers.

Netflix adopted Go for parts of its infrastructure that needed extreme performance. By using Go, Netflix achieved the low-latency, high-concurrency service they required without sacrificing developer speed.

Cloudflare heavily relies on Go for building high-performance, scalable, and secure networking solutions. Many core Cloudflare services, such as their reverse proxy, DDoS protection, and firewall rules, are written in Go.

These are just a few examples. Companies like PayPal, Riot Games, Twitch, and Uber have similarly reported using Go to achieve scalable, reliable systems. You can read all the case studies here.