Zero values

Canonical guidance

• prefer types whose zero value is ready for basic use
• make configuration additive instead of requiring a constructor for every case
• document when the zero value is not valid

Use when

• designing structs and APIs
• deciding whether a constructor is truly necessary

Avoid

• types that panic when zero-initialized unless unavoidable
• needless constructors that only assign zero values

Preferred pattern

var buf bytes.Buffer
buf.WriteString("ok")

Anti-pattern

type Client struct {
	conn *Conn
}

• if zero Client is invalid, document it clearly or redesign the type

Explanation: This anti-pattern is tempting when constructors are familiar from other languages, but unnecessary ceremony fights Go’s zero-value conventions.

Why

• useful zero values reduce ceremony
• they fit Go’s allocation and declaration style naturally