golang-structs-interfaces

When designing Go structs and interfaces, return concrete struct types from constructors while accepting dependencies via interfaces. This approach provides clarity in type initialization while still leveraging interface flexibility for dependency injection and mocking during testing.

Consistent pointer vs value receiver usage in Go struct design requires applying uniformity rules across all methods on a type. Choose value receivers for small immutable data and pointer receivers for large structs or state mutation, ensuring useful zero-value structs and preventing receiver semantic conflicts.

Compile-time interface verification in Go uses var _ InterfaceName = (*StructType)(nil) checks to enforce contract safety. This guarantees your concrete structs satisfy the required interface methods during compilation rather than discovering implementation gaps at runtime.

Choose embedding in Go struct composition to promote fields and methods directly, or use named fields when avoiding method shadowing and maintaining explicit access paths is necessary for clear dependency boundaries and serialization tag control.