How do I add custom middleware to a go-zero service?

go-zero allows integrating custom middlewares into its framework via the service context or handler layers. You can define them in the code structure generated by goctl, though the README emphasizes built-in middlewares for resilience.

Is go-zero better than Gin for building microservices?

go-zero is specifically designed for microservices with built-in resilience, service mesh, and code generation, while Gin is a lighter HTTP framework. For complex, distributed systems, go-zero offers more out-of-the-box features, but Gin might be simpler for basic APIs without microservices needs.

Does go-zero support WebSocket or real-time communication?

The README focuses on HTTP and RPC for microservices; WebSocket support isn't explicitly mentioned. While you can integrate Go's standard libraries, go-zero's strengths are in request-response patterns and resilience for traditional APIs.

How to handle database transactions in go-zero?

go-zero provides a service context to pass dependencies like databases to the logic layer. You can use Go's database/sql or ORMs manually, but specific transaction handling patterns are left to the developer, as the framework focuses on API and resilience layers.

Can I use go-zero without the code generation tools?

Technically yes, but it's not recommended. go-zero's productivity benefits, like auto-request validation and structured code, stem from goctl. Manual setup would bypass key features and require more boilerplate code.

What are the deployment options for go-zero services?

go-zero services are standard Go binaries, deployable via Docker, Kubernetes, or any cloud platform. The framework includes service discovery and load balancing features for cloud-native environments, as shown in its architecture diagrams.

Open-Awesome

Go-zero

MITGov1.10.2

A cloud-native Go microservices framework with built-in engineering practices for high-availability services.

Visit Website GitHub

33.1k stars4.3k forks0 contributors

What is Go-zero?

go-zero is a cloud-native web and RPC framework written in Go, designed for building microservices with built-in engineering practices. It focuses on ensuring service stability under high concurrency through resilience features like circuit breaking, rate limiting, and adaptive load shedding. The framework includes a CLI tool (goctl) for code generation across multiple languages from simple API descriptions.

Target Audience

Go developers building scalable, high-availability microservices for cloud-native environments, especially those needing resilience and productivity tools.

Value Proposition

Developers choose go-zero for its battle-tested resilience features, integrated code generation that reduces boilerplate, and AI-native tooling that accelerates development while maintaining framework conventions.

Overview

A cloud-native Go microservices framework with cli tool for productivity.

Use Cases

Best For

Building resilient microservices that must handle tens of millions of daily active users
Generating client and server code from API definitions for multiple languages
Implementing cloud-native Go services with built-in service mesh capabilities
Developing high-performance web and RPC APIs with minimal configuration
Teams adopting AI-assisted development with tools like Claude, Copilot, or Cursor
Ensuring fault tolerance with adaptive circuit breakers and rate limiting

Not Ideal For

Simple monolithic applications where microservices architecture is unnecessary
Teams that prefer to write all code manually without code generation tools
Projects requiring extensive customization beyond the framework's prescribed patterns
Non-Go development environments

Pros & Cons

Pros

Built-in Resilience

Integrates adaptive circuit breakers, rate limiting, and load shedding with minimal configuration, proven in services with tens of millions of users for high concurrency stability.

Cross-language Code Generation

The goctl CLI generates Go, iOS, Android, Kotlin, Dart, TypeScript, and JavaScript from .api files, reducing boilerplate and accelerating multi-platform development.

AI-Native Tooling

Provides AI context, patterns, and MCP tools for Claude, Copilot, and Cursor to generate framework-compliant code, enhancing developer productivity with AI-assisted workflows.

High Performance

Optimized for speed and efficiency, with benchmarks showing strong performance in Go web framework comparisons, making it suitable for high-load scenarios.

Cons

Opinionated Workflow

The framework enforces a specific structure and relies heavily on goctl for code generation, which can be restrictive for teams wanting more flexibility or custom architectures.

Learning Curve

New users must learn the .api syntax, goctl commands, and AI tooling integration, adding initial overhead compared to simpler Go frameworks like Gin or Echo.

Ecosystem Dependency

Adopting go-zero means committing to its toolchain and patterns, potentially creating vendor lock-in and making migration to other frameworks more difficult.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Gin

Gin is a high-performance HTTP web framework written in Go. It provides a Martini-like API but with significantly better performance—up to 40 times faster—thanks to httprouter. Gin is designed for building REST APIs, web applications, and microservices.

Stars88,633

Forks8,627

Last commit5 days ago

go-kit

A standard library for microservices.

Stars27,428

Forks2,442

Last commit1 year ago

Kratos

Your ultimate Go microservices framework for the cloud-native era.

Stars25,724

Forks4,160

Last commit3 days ago

Iris

The fastest HTTP/2 Go Web Framework. New, modern and easy to learn. Fast development with Code you control. Unbeatable cost-performance ratio :rocket:

Stars25,581

Forks2,432

Last commit4 months ago

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub