The Go Programming Language Specification

Language specification for syntax, types, declarations, statements, packages, and core semantics.

• Author: Go Team
• Authority: primary
• Kind: spec
• URL: https://go.dev/ref/spec

What it covers

• language syntax and grammar
• type system rules
• package and declaration semantics

Why authoritative

Canonical language specification published by the Go Team.

Use when

• what does the Go spec require here
• is this valid Go syntax
• how does this Go language rule work

Keywords

• go spec, language semantics, types, syntax, declarations

Used by

• buffered-channels
• build-tags
• channel-closing
• channels
• embedding
• init-functions
• integer-overflow
• maps
• named-result-parameters
• range-loops
• reflection
• select-patterns
• slices
• strings
• type-assertions
• unsafe
• constants-and-iota
• variables-and-short-declarations
• scope-and-blocks
• blank-identifier-and-predeclared-identifiers
• array-types
• struct-types
• pointer-types
• interface-types-and-method-sets
• function-types-literals-and-method-values
• type-identity-and-underlying-types
• assignability-and-representability
• conversions
• composite-literals
• selectors-indexing-and-slicing
• order-of-evaluation
• switch-and-type-switch
• for-statements
• built-in-functions
• package-and-import-semantics
• program-initialization-order
• run-time-panics
• literal-syntax
• semicolons
• errors-as-language-semantics