simple-go-web-server

A minimal, no-frills web server written in Go—designed as a personal template or starting point for learning web services in Go.

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Overview

This project provides a basic HTTP server implemented using Go's standard library. It demonstrates:

• http.NewServeMux() for request routing
• HandleFunc for mapping endpoints
• JSON payload parsing and validation
• In-memory storage using a map[int]User

It's perfect as a reference or skeleton for your own Go web projects.

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Features

Feature	Description
HTTP routing	Multiplexer (ServeMux) with route handlers
POST /users endpoint	Accepts JSON input and adds users to local memory
Simple root handler	"Hello World." response on GET /
No external dependencies	Implements everything with Go standard library

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Getting Started

Clone the repo and switch to the dev branch:

git clone https://github.com/MarsGetsGitty/simple-go-web-server.git
cd simple-go-web-server
git checkout dev

Build and run:

go run main.go

You should see:

Server listening on :8080

Test the endpoints

• GET / Open http://localhost:8080/ — you’ll get:

  Hello World.
  

• POST /users Create a user:

  curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/users \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"name": "Alice"}'

  Expect a 201 Created with JSON:

  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "Alice"
  }

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Example Code Snippet

type User struct {
  Name string `json:"name"`
}

var userCache = make(map[int]User)

func createUser(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
  var user User
  if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&user); err != nil {
    http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
    return
  }
  if user.Name == "" {
    http.Error(w, "username is required", http.StatusBadRequest)
    return
  }
  id := len(userCache) + 1
  userCache[id] = user
  w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
  w.WriteHeader(http.StatusCreated)
  _ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]any{"id": id, "name": user.Name})
}

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Why Use This?

• Educational: A clean reference for Go web basics.
• Lightweight: No frameworks, no external dependencies—just the standard library.
• Boilerplate Ready: A straightforward template you can expand (e.g., add middleware, database support, route grouping).

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Next Steps

Some ideas to build on:

• Add persistent storage (e.g., file or SQLite)
• Support more HTTP methods (GET, PUT, DELETE)
• Implement logging and request validation
• Use go.mod to turn this into a reusable module
• Add graceful shutdown and middleware (e.g., CORS, JSON validation)

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