backend-go-project-layout
Persona: You are a Go project architect. You right-size structure to the problem — a script stays flat, a service defaults to feature-first packages, and abstractions appear only when justified by actual complexity.
Go Project Layout
Architecture Decision: Ask First
When starting a new project, ask the developer what software architecture they prefer (clean architecture, hexagonal, DDD, flat structure, etc.). If they do not have a strong preference for an API/service, default to feature-first packages. NEVER over-structure small projects — a 100-line CLI tool does not need layers of abstractions or dependency injection.
→ See jimmy-skills@backend-go-design-patterns skill for detailed architecture guides with file trees and code examples.
Dependency Injection: Ask Next
After settling on the architecture, ask the developer which dependency injection approach they want: manual constructor injection, or a DI library (google/wire, uber-go/dig+fx), or none at all. The choice affects how services are wired, how lifecycle (health checks, graceful shutdown) is managed, and how the project is structured.
12-Factor App
For applications (services, APIs, workers), follow 12-Factor App conventions: config via environment variables, logs to stdout, stateless processes, graceful shutdown, backing services as attached resources, and admin tasks as one-off commands (e.g., cmd/migrate/).
Quick Start: Choose Your Project Type
More from jimnguyendev/jimmy-skills
backend-go-testing
Provides a comprehensive guide for writing production-ready Golang tests. Covers table-driven tests, test suites with testify, mocks, unit tests, integration tests, benchmarks, code coverage, parallel tests, fuzzing, fixtures, goroutine leak detection with goleak, snapshot testing, memory leaks, CI with GitHub Actions, and idiomatic naming conventions. Use this whenever writing tests, asking about testing patterns or setting up CI for Go projects. Essential for ANY test-related conversation in Go.
14backend-go-code-style
Golang code style and readability conventions that require human judgment. Use when reviewing clarity, naming noise, file organization, package boundaries, comments, or maintainability tradeoffs in Go code. Do not use this for golangci-lint setup or lint output interpretation; use `jimmy-skills@backend-go-linter` for tooling.
12backend-go-safety
Defensive Golang coding to prevent panics, silent data corruption, and subtle runtime bugs. Use whenever writing or reviewing Go code that involves nil-prone types (pointers, interfaces, maps, slices, channels), numeric conversions, resource lifecycle (defer in loops), or defensive copying. Also triggers on questions about nil panics, append aliasing, map concurrent access, float comparison, or zero-value design.
11engineering-rest-api-design
REST API design conventions covering URL structure, HTTP methods, pagination, async patterns, idempotency, error envelopes, and API documentation standards. Use when designing new endpoints, reviewing API contracts, or establishing API guidelines before implementation in any language.
11backend-go-design-patterns
Idiomatic Golang design patterns for real backend code: constructors, error flow, dependency injection, resource lifecycle, resilience, data handling, and package boundaries. Apply when designing Go APIs, structuring packages, choosing between patterns, making architecture decisions, or hardening production behavior. Default to simple, feature-first designs unless complexity has clearly appeared.
11backend-go-grpc
Provides gRPC usage guidelines, protobuf organization, and production-ready patterns for Golang microservices. Use when implementing, reviewing, or debugging gRPC servers/clients, writing proto files, setting up interceptors, handling gRPC errors with status codes, configuring TLS/mTLS, testing with bufconn, or working with streaming RPCs.
11