5 Best Golang Web Frameworks for Building Outstanding Apps in 2024

What is Go or Golang?

Golang was originally developed in 2007 but launched two years later. Three Google employees-  Robert Griesemer, Ken Thompson, and Rob Pike- are the men behind this open-source language. 

It is a simple and efficient language known for its strong concurrency support. Therefore, the Go framework is best for building applications that either demand high performance or will scale in the future.

Companies Who Use Golang

• Google
• PayPal
• American Express
• Bitly
• Capital One
• Netflix
• Dropbox
• Cloudflare
• Meta
• Microsoft
• Uber
• Salesforce
• Twitter
  

Three Good Reasons to Use a Golang Web Framework

Reason 1: Early Detection of Errors

Go language or Go is full of good properties such as static typing. In statically typed languages, verifying variables and expressions is performed during the code compilation. That means any type-related errors are detected early. 

Reason 2: Efficient Handling of Concurrent Tasks

Another reason why Golang seems the best choice is its concurrency feature. Concurrency means large programs are divided into small tasks and run parallelly. This feature allows your app to handle multiple user requests.

Reason 3: Easy and Simple Code

Developing web applications is faster with Go as compared to others because of its simplicity. Its easy syntax helps developers read and understand code without much trouble. 

The Top 5 Golang Frameworks for Web Development

1. Gin (72.3k Stars on GitHub)

Today’s web apps demand speed and there is no better Go web framework than Gin.  It performs 40 times faster than Martini, another Golang framework. 

Its syntax is similar to Django and has ample Python libraries. Coding is also easier in Gin because of the code reusability feature. Usually, Gin is used to develop microservices, but it is also suitable for developing apps with massive user loads. 

Pros 

• Gin provides extensive documentation.
• It reduces boilerplate code to support fast development. 
• It has well-tested middleware.

Cons

• It is not good for complex applications.

2. Beego (30.3k Stars on GitHub)

Beego is good for making web apps, REST APIs, or website backends with complex features. However, beginners should not jumpstart without having prior knowledge of Golang. 

Once you become a master, learning Beego will be easy. Those with experience in Django will also find it easier as Beego shares some similarities with Django. 

It supports ORM and context handling which helps in developing a solid foundation for your app. The best part about Beego is no third-party installation is required. It runs on MVC architecture and has its own tools and libraries to make development easier and faster. 

Pros 

• It supports RESTful APIs.
• Development is faster with the Beego framework than with others. 
• It works on MVC architecture. 

Cons

• Caching in Beego may cause build failure. 
• It has less community support. 

3. Fiber (29k Stars on GitHub)

If you're looking for a Go web framework that's both powerful and easy to use, Fiber is a fantastic choice. It's inspired by Express.js, so if you're familiar with that, you'll feel right at home.

What makes it stand out among frameworks is its speed and efficiency as Fiber is built on the Fast HTTP engine.

It uses very little memory and follows the Unix philosophy, focusing on simplicity and modularity. This makes app development quick. 

Another handy feature in Fiber is a rate limiter that controls traffic, ensuring the endpoints are not overloaded. You can also build apps with real-time features, thanks to WebSocket support. 

Pros 

• It provides rich routing.
• It is fast compared to others.
• It consumes low memory.
• Fiber supports a variety of template engines. 

Cons

• It doesn’t support HTTP2. 

4. Echo (26.9k Stars on GitHub)

The fourth-best Golang web framework in our list is known for its performance-centricity. That’s why Echo is used for developing RESTful APIs, JSON web services, APIs, and more. 

The best part about Echo is you can either use it as a standalone or combine it with other libraries. It automatically handles the installation of TLS certificates; ensuring you don’t have to struggle much to make your app secure. 

Data binding, data rendering, HTTP/2 support, and built-in middleware functions are a few more impressive features of Echo. 

Pros 

• Using the Echo framework is easy.
• It is customizable, lightweight, and extensible. 
• Its router doesn’t show absurd pattern-matching issues.

Cons

• Code updates are rarely done. 

Also Read: REST API vs RESTful API: Which is Good for Web App Development?

5. Gorilla (19.4k Stars on GitHub)

Flexible but complex, this Go framework makes development pretty fast because of its convention over configuration approach. It offers features like component reusability and HTTP libraries. 

Pros 

• It offers reusable elements and components. 
• Gorilla is scalable making it easier to add or remove packages and extensions. 
• It also supports route reversing and custom routing rules. 

Cons

• Configuring components is difficult. 
• It shows slow performance. 

Some More Golang Web Frameworks to Consider 

• Martini
• Buffalo
• Gocraft
• Goji
• Revel
• Kratos
• Go-zero
• Iris
• Kit

Conclusion 

Working with Golang is easy if you choose the right framework. However, the journey starts with knowing what you need and then making the decision. In the case of Go web frameworks, each one is different and has unique pros and cons. Besides these, also see which framework is easy to use and learn otherwise even the best framework won’t work for you. 

FAQ

Is Golang backend or frontend?

Though Golang is a web framework, it is particularly used for backend development because of its features like concurrency and high performance. These features are very essential in the backend development of any application.  

What is Golang used for?

From developing single-page apps, complex apps, and APIs, to microservices, Golang is used for everything. 

Which is the best framework for Golang?

Although the choice depends on your needs, Gin and Echo are the best framework to work with. They offer high performance. But if you are looking for a full-featured framework Beego is the right choice. 

Which is the best Golang framework for microservices?

Choose Gin and Echo for developing microservices as they’re lightweight and offer good performance. 

Which is the best go framework for REST API?

For developing REST APIs, Gin is often used as working with this framework is simple.