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Hiring Go Developers

What Is Go?

Go is a statically-typed, compiled programming language designed at Google to address and improve programming productivity in an era of multicore, networked machines, and large codebases. Go attempts to cherry-pick the best characteristics from previous popular languages.

• static typing and run-time efficiency (like C++)
• readability and usability (like Python or JavaScript)
• high-performance networking and multiprocessing

What Is a Go developer?

Go developers are typically backend developers, DevOps engineers, or cloud engineers with knowledge of the Golang programming language and have specialized in one or more fields (DevOps, Web Development, Data Science, etc). As Golang steadily rises in popularity, and the need for faster applications increases, we can expect to see an influx of Golang developers. Golang developers also tend to be seasoned software developers with experience in either JavaScript, Python or even other languages like Java and C++. Depending on the particular field they are working with, they will have most likely had to have used the dominant language up until their transition to Golang. This is a good thing because they will still need those languages when dealing with a tech stack as a whole.

Why Use Golang?

When it comes to web development, in particular, Golang has proven to be faster than Python in a number of different use cases and is able to handle complexity better than Python. Because of this, Golang is commonly seen as an alternative to Python. There are several characteristics that make Go attractive when considering whether to use it to build your product or service. Let’s take a look at them in detail.

Advantages of Using Golang

Concurrency and Faster Performance 

Golang is very fast. It’s known to have a greater than Python and approaches the speed of lower-level languages like C. That’s purely by design as Go was developed by Google engineers to be highly performant. This speed is especially effective when dealing with concurrency. Concurrency is when multiple programs run at the same time, often on different cores, and are able to interact with each other through a shared memory location. 

Concurrency can be a tricky topic and Go handles it much better than older single-threaded programming languages. In modern tech applications, speed and delivery are probably the two most important things given that you have a strong user interface that can attract and delight users. Golang offers developers the ability to easily tap into better performance in a way that’s much different than if you were to use other languages. With older languages, it takes a lot of technical expertise and language-specific knowledge to squeeze performance out of your code.

Ease of Use

Golang is a notoriously easy language to pick up, with many developers praising it for its clear syntax. Some developers even claim that Go is easier than JavaScript. 

Native Frameworks and Libraries

Golang comes with many different frameworks and libraries which reduces the need to bring in third-party options. You are still free to use third-party libraries and there is a large community around Golang that facilitates this but the most important things a developer will need will most likely already exist at Golang’s core. 

Strong Debugging Tools

Golang really took its time when creating a debugging environment that actually does its job. This is arguably one of the most important aspects when looking at the “happiness” factor of a programming language. Having strong debugging tools make building applications and systems so much easier when you’re in the trenches.

Companies Who use Go

• Paypal
• American Express
• Salesforce
• Twitch
• Target
• Netflix
• Twitter
• Uber
• Dropbox
• Youtube
• Docker

Hire a Golang Developer

Golang developers are steadily becoming more popular as more companies execute long-term strategies to boost the performance of their backend systems. That being said, Golang developers are still not as easy to find as JavaScript or Python developers. However, it’s safe to say that the early adopters of the language are passionate and have a good grasp on how to apply it within their field of work. Golang is a general-purpose language which means that it is used for cloud & network services, web development, DevOps & site reliability, and even command-line interfaces. 

If you are seeking to build a web application that leverages the power of Go on the backend, then you will want to find a Golang developer that has experience building web applications using Go. Backend developers tend to be attracted to learning Golang which makes it slightly more difficult to find full-stack Golang engineers who have extra JavaScript at this time. This is sure to change as Golang rises in popularity, as it’s one of the very few languages that delivers on its promises of increased performance and usability. 

How to hire a Golang developer

For those who wish to take the high road and hire Golang developers on your own, we’re still here to help. Hiring a developer on your own is a very focused and hands-on process that requires considerable knowledge about software development in general. The last thing you want to do is trust your hiring process to someone with no technical ability. If you are a non-technical manager looking to learn a thing or two, we have a great resource here for you to learn more about the hiring process in detail. 

What to look for in a Golang developer

The desirable skills to look for in a Golang developer depend on what you are trying to build. 

Let’s take a look at what those traits are on a high-level.

Cloud & Networking

• Proficiency with Golang
• Experience with using containers (Docker, AWS ECS, Kubernetes)
• Experience with cloud automation (Terraform)
• Knowledge of cloud providers: mainly AWS (S3, EC2, RDS, ECS, IAM, etc)
• Knowledge with using CI/CD tools and services
• Strong understanding of LINUX based systems (Alpine, Ubuntu, Amazon Linux)
• Experience with implementing idP (SAML, OIDC)

• Proficiency with Golang
• Proficiency with JavaScript and ES6
• (Full-Stack) Excellent knowledge with a frontend framework or library
• Experience with building RESTful APIs
• Able to write non-blocking code and use advanced techniques (multi-threading)
• Proficient in multithreading programming
• Proficiency with relational databases / SQL development
• Solid understanding of Data Structures, Algorithms & Object-Oriented design concepts

DevOps & Site Reliability

• Proficiency with Golang
• Experience with GoLang Ansible
• Proficiency with Python
• Experience with Bash
• Kubernetes and Docker experience
• Deep knowledge of LINUX based systems
• Experience with continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment

How much do Golang developers cost in the U.S?

The average salary for a Golang developer is $129,401 per year in the United States, according to Ziprecruiter.com data.

Hourly rates for Golang Developers

Another way to look at developer costs is through hourly rates. While salaries are good to understand for hiring developers for full-time and long-term, you might just need a developer for a period of 3-6 months or 6-12 months. In these types of situations, it’s best to calculate your costs based on the hourly rates of a developer. Experienced Golang developers with good track record and communication skills usually start at 25+ USD for junior positions and go up to 60 USD hourly. 

Why Hire a Golang Developer

ExpandAcross Golang developers are pre-vetted, interviewed and then trained further to become true software professionals, capable of adapting to situations that are both within and outside of the scope of their general expertise. 

At ExpandAcross, we hold our developers to a higher standard. Much like how elite special forces units recruit only the best from main branches of the military, we recruit developers who either show amazing potential or demonstrate exceptional skill. We then take their talents and sharpen them even further.

Another benefit of hiring a ExpandAcross developer is that you won’t incur the costs of hiring, which can add up to be around 30% of a developer’s salary on average, as well as overhead costs associated with full-time employment. 

By working with ExpandAcross, you can enjoy a highly experienced full-time developer for a fraction of the cost, along with the added project management assistance. 

To learn more, hit us up and tell us about your project so that we can get you started.