Question 1

How do I set up godror with Oracle Instant Client?

Accepted Answer

Download the free Basic or Basic Light package from Oracle's website, set environment variables like LD_LIBRARY_PATH, and ensure CGO is enabled. The README links to ODPI-C installation guides for detailed steps, but it requires manual configuration beyond a simple go get.

Question 2

What's the connection string format for godror?

Accepted Answer

Use a logfmt-encoded string with parameters like user, password, and connectString. For example: `user="scott" password="tiger" connectString="dbhost:1521/orclpdb1"`. The connectString can be any valid Oracle identifier, such as an Easy Connect string.

Question 3

How to call a stored procedure with OUT parameters in godror?

Accepted Answer

Use ExecContext with sql.Out for each OUT parameter, and keep the prepared statement alive for long-lived objects like LOBs. The README provides examples under 'Calling stored procedures' and references a presentation for more details.

Question 4

godror vs go-ora: which Go Oracle driver is better?

Accepted Answer

godror uses Oracle's ODPI-C for full feature support but requires C dependencies, while go-ora is pure Go with easier deployment but may lack advanced Oracle features. Choose godror for compatibility with complex Oracle workflows, or go-ora for simplicity in standard SQL scenarios.

Question 5

Why does godror require CGO and what are the drawbacks?

Accepted Answer

godror relies on Oracle's ODPI-C library, which is written in C, so it needs CGO to interface with Go. This complicates cross-compilation, adds build-time dependencies, and can cause issues in environments without C compilers or where pure Go is preferred for security.

Question 6

How to handle Oracle LOBs (CLOB/BLOB) in godror without errors?

Accepted Answer

By default, LOBs are returned as strings/byte slices; use LobAsReader() for stream handling. Avoid using sql.QueryRow for LOBs, as it closes statements prematurely—instead, use a separate Stmt or sql.QueryContext and manage statement lifecycle carefully, per the 'CLOB, BLOB' caveats.

Question 7

Does godror support connection pooling and timeouts?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it includes built-in session pooling and supports standard Go connection pool settings like SetMaxIdleConns. For timeouts, use connect_timeout in the connection string or Context deadlines, but note that Ping uses connect_timeout, not Context, as mentioned in the 'Connection' section.

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