golang-popular-libraries

Use pgx (github.com/jackc/pgx) as the primary PostgreSQL driver. It is faster than lib/pq and supports all PostgreSQL types and advanced features, while lib/pq remains a viable but less capable alternative.

Chi is the best fit when you want a lightweight router that stays close to net/http with minimal dependencies. Full frameworks like Gin or Echo offer more built-in features but add abstraction over the standard library.

Start with log/slog, the structured logging package in the standard library since Go 1.21. Consider zap or zerolog only when you need zero-allocation logging in hot paths or features slog does not provide.

No, Logrus is deprecated and in maintenance mode. For new projects, prefer log/slog from the standard library, or zap and zerolog for high-performance structured logging.

Avoid libraries that merely wrap standard library functionality without adding value, abandoned or unmaintained packages, and libraries with large dependency footprints for simple needs. Every dependency increases attack surface and maintenance burden.

sqlc generates type-safe Go code from SQL at compile time with no runtime reflection, so the compiler catches SQL errors. GORM is a feature-rich ORM that uses runtime reflection, which means SQL errors surface only at runtime.