MutexOrChannel

Use a sync.Mutex or a channel?

One of Go's mottos is "Share memory by communicating, don't communicate by sharing memory."

That said, Go does provide traditional locking mechanisms in the sync package. Most locking issues can be solved using either channels or traditional locks.

So which should you use?

Use whichever is most expressive and/or most simple.

A common Go newbie mistake is to over-use channels and goroutines just because it's possible, and/or because it's fun. Don't be afraid to use a sync.Mutex if that fits your problem best. Go is pragmatic in letting you use the tools that solve your problem best and not forcing you into one style of code.

As a general guide, though:

Channel	Mutex
passing ownership of data, distributing units of work, communicating async results	caches, state

If you ever find your sync.Mutex locking rules are getting too complex, ask yourself whether using channel(s) might be simpler.

More Info

• Channels in Effective Go: http://golang.org/doc/effective_go.html#channels
• The sync package: http://golang.org/pkg/sync/