Gin

Gin is the most popular Go web framework, known for its martini-like API and performance (httprouter). v1.10 (2025) adds structured logging and better binding.

When to Use

• REST APIs: The industry standard for Go microservices.
• Performance: 40x faster than Martini.
• Middleware Ecosystem: Massive library of plugins.

Core Concepts

Router

Radix tree based routing. r.GET("/ping", handler).

Context (c *gin.Context)

Holds request, response, and metadata.

Binding

ShouldBindJSON automatically validates structs.

Best Practices (2025)

Do:

• Use ShouldBind: Better error handling than Bind (which panics/writes 400).
• Use gin.Recovery(): Prevent crashes from taking down the server.
• Use Slog: Integrate with Go's log/slog for structured logs.

Don't:

• Don't abuse c.Set/Get: Use type-safe struct passing where possible.

References

• Gin Documentation