A simple REST API written in Go that performs CRUD operations for book management. The purpose of this program is to demonstrate a clean folder structure using best practices. Gorilla/mux is used to route incoming HTTP requests to the correct method handlers.
- Original implementation entirely in main.go
- Optimize directory structure
- Add explanation about layout pattern
- Use a real database
The project layout uses the common pattern of splitting the code into the /cmd and /pkg layout patterns.
The /cmd contains the main application entry points for the project. If there is a need to have more than one application binary, the name of the subdirectory should match the name of the executable application (e.g., /cmd/myapp). It's best practice not to put a lot of code in the application directory.
The library code that can be imported and used by external projects should live in /pkg directory. This layout pattern allows the package to be "go gettable", which means it's possible to use the go get command to fetch and install the project, its applications, and libraries (e.g., go get github.com/andrei-k/go-rest-api/pkg). Caution must be used with the code placed here because external projects will expect these libraries to work.
The code that is not meant to be reused by external projects should live in the /internal directory. Go ensures that these private packages are not importable.
Some notable examples of programs using this layout pattern include official Go Tools, Kubernetes, and Docker.
Good reference for the Standard Go Project Layout.
The original code that was contained entirely in the main.go file can be found in /internal/original_main.go. It was then split into the /cmd and /pkg directories.