A comprehensive collection of educational examples, experiments, and mini-projects focused on network programming and network automation using the Go programming language.
This repository serves as both a learning resource and a reference implementation for network programming concepts. The primary objectives are:
- Demonstrate practical networking implementations in Go
- Build a strong conceptual foundation in computer networking
- Bridge the gap between networking theory and real-world implementation
- Provide production-inspired code patterns for network automation
The content combines networking theory (TCP/IP, OSI model, RFC specifications) with hands-on Go implementations, making it suitable for:
- Network engineers (CCNA, CCNP level and beyond)
- Backend and systems developers
- Computer science students studying networks
- Engineers working on network automation and protocol-level programming
This repository covers fundamental networking protocols and their implementations:
- TCP/UDP Client-Server Models: Complete implementations of connection-oriented and connectionless communication patterns
- Echo Servers: Single and multi-client echo server implementations demonstrating basic socket programming
- Daytime Protocol (RFC 867): RFC-compliant time server implementation
- FTP-Style Communication: File transfer protocol client and server examples
- DNS Lookup Mechanisms: Domain name resolution and service discovery patterns
- ICMP Diagnostics: Network diagnostic tools and ping implementations
Low-level networking concepts and implementations:
- IP Addressing: IPv4 and IPv6 address handling, parsing, and manipulation
- CIDR and Subnetting: Network prefix calculations and subnet operations
- ARP and Neighbor Discovery: Address resolution protocol concepts
- Ethernet Fundamentals: Link-layer frame handling and MAC address operations
- Raw Packet Processing: Low-level packet construction and parsing
Leveraging Go's networking ecosystem:
- net Package: Core networking functionality including TCP, UDP, and Unix sockets
- net/netip Package: Modern IP address handling with improved performance
- Binary Representations: Efficient binary encoding of network data
- Protocol Serialization: JSON, Protocol Buffers, and custom text-based protocols
- gRPC: Unary and streaming RPC implementations
High-performance networking patterns:
- Goroutine-Based Servers: Concurrent connection handling
- Channel Communication: Inter-goroutine messaging patterns
- Multithreaded Echo Servers: Scalable server architectures
- Timeout Management: Connection and operation timeout handling
- Keep-Alive Mechanisms: Long-lived connection management
- Pipeline Patterns: Staged concurrent processing
Introductory security concepts:
- Symmetric Hashing: Hash functions and their applications
- Merkle Trees: Cryptographic data structure implementations
- X.509 Certificates: Certificate parsing and validation
- Asymmetric Cryptography: Public key cryptography basics
- Secure Communication: TLS and encrypted channel fundamentals
Programmable network management:
- Closed-Loop Automation: Automated network state management
- Container-Based Labs: Network simulation using Containerlab
- Protocol-Aware Automation: Intelligent network configuration tools
- SDN Concepts: Software-defined networking patterns
All code examples are organized within the Go Codes/ directory. Each subdirectory is self-contained and focuses on a specific protocol, concept, or pattern.
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
daytime_server/ |
RFC 867 Daytime Protocol server implementation |
ftp_protocol/ |
File Transfer Protocol client and server examples |
directory_protocol/ |
Directory listing service implementation |
http_head_info/ |
HTTP HEAD request handling and response parsing |
http_app/ |
HTTP application server examples |
multi_protocol_server/ |
Server supporting multiple protocols simultaneously |
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
grpc_client/ |
gRPC client implementation with various call patterns |
grpc_server/ |
gRPC server with service definitions and handlers |
grpc_stream_server/ |
Server-side streaming RPC examples |
grpc_stream_client/ |
Client-side and bidirectional streaming examples |
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
multithreaded_echo/ |
Concurrent echo server with goroutine pool |
goroutine/ |
Goroutine lifecycle and management patterns |
channels/ |
Channel-based communication examples |
message_passing/ |
Inter-process and distributed messaging patterns |
timeout_keepalive/ |
Connection timeout and keep-alive implementations |
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
internet_layer/ |
IP addressing, CIDR calculations, and routing logic |
ipv4_router/ |
IPv4 packet routing and forwarding simulation |
ip_mask/ |
Subnet mask operations and network calculations |
icmp/ |
ICMP message handling and ping implementation |
port_lookup/ |
Service port resolution and discovery |
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
link_layer/ |
Ethernet frame handling, ARP, and MAC operations |
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
json/ |
JSON encoding and decoding for network messages |
json_serialization/ |
Advanced JSON marshaling techniques |
protocol_buffers/ |
Protocol Buffers schema definition and usage |
gob/ |
Go's native binary encoding format |
gob_echo/ |
Gob-based network communication |
asn1/ |
Abstract Syntax Notation One encoding |
asn1_daytime/ |
ASN.1 protocol implementation |
textproto/ |
Text-based protocol parsing utilities |
manual_serialization/ |
Custom binary serialization implementations |
modern_serialization/ |
Contemporary serialization approaches |
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
asymmetric_key/ |
RSA and elliptic curve cryptography examples |
merkle_tree/ |
Hash functions and Merkle tree implementations |
x509/ |
X.509 certificate parsing and chain validation |
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
closed_loop_automation/ |
Automated network state reconciliation |
containerlab/ |
Container-based network topology definitions |
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
dce_file_system/ |
Distributed Computing Environment file operations |
character_encoding/ |
Character encoding and text representation |
- Go: Version 1.20 or newer (latest stable release recommended)
- Protocol Buffers Compiler: Required for gRPC examples (
protoc) - Git: For cloning and version control
- Linux or UNIX-like operating system recommended for low-level networking examples
- Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) supported for Windows users
- Root/Administrator privileges may be required for raw socket and ICMP examples
- Basic understanding of TCP/IP networking concepts
- Familiarity with IP addressing and subnetting
- Understanding of client-server architecture
- Basic Go programming experience
Clone the repository to your local machine:
git clone https://github.com/YasinEnginExpert/go-network-programming.git
cd go-network-programmingEach directory contains standalone examples. Navigate to the desired directory and run:
# Internet Layer examples
cd "Go Codes/internet_layer"
go run .
# gRPC Server
cd "Go Codes/grpc_server"
go run .
# Multithreaded Echo Server
cd "Go Codes/multithreaded_echo"
go run .go-network-programming/
├── Go Codes/
│ ├── internet_layer/ # Start here for IP fundamentals
│ ├── daytime_server/ # Simple protocol implementation
│ ├── multithreaded_echo/ # Concurrent server patterns
│ ├── grpc_server/ # Modern RPC examples
│ └── ... # Additional modules
└── README.md
- Network Programming with Go by Jan Newmarch and Ronald Petty
Springer, 2021 | ISBN: 978-1-4842-6874-8
A comprehensive guide to Go's networking capabilities with practical examples.
- Go net Package — Standard library networking documentation
- Go net/netip Package — Modern IP address handling
- Effective Go — Go programming best practices
- gRPC-Go Documentation — gRPC implementation guide
- RFC 791 — Internet Protocol (IP)
- RFC 793 — Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
- RFC 768 — User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
- RFC 867 — Daytime Protocol
- RFC 826 — Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
- RFC 792 — Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
- Go Blog: Pipelines and Cancellation — Concurrency patterns
- Go Blog: Context — Request-scoped values and cancellation
- Protocol Buffers Documentation — Serialization format guide
This repository follows an educational-first approach rather than a framework-driven design. The implementation choices prioritize:
Instead of hiding networking complexity behind high-level abstractions, examples expose the underlying mechanisms. This approach helps developers understand:
- How operating systems handle network operations
- The actual bytes transmitted over the wire
- Protocol state machines and handshakes
Each example connects theoretical networking concepts to practical code:
- RFC specifications are referenced and implemented
- OSI/TCP-IP layer concepts are demonstrated concretely
- Real-world use cases inform example design
While educational, the code follows production best practices:
- Proper error handling and propagation
- Graceful shutdown and resource cleanup
- Concurrent-safe implementations
- Configurable timeouts and retries
Examples are organized to support progressive learning:
- Start with basic socket operations (
internet_layer/) - Progress to protocol implementations (
daytime_server/) - Explore concurrent patterns (
multithreaded_echo/) - Advance to modern RPC (
grpc_server/) - Apply to automation (
closed_loop_automation/)
Contributions are welcome. Please ensure that new examples:
- Follow the existing code style and organization
- Include appropriate comments and documentation
- Are self-contained within their directory
- Reference relevant RFCs or specifications where applicable
This project is available for educational purposes. See the repository for specific license terms.